


The Parent Trap

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Series: The Parent Trap [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Divorce, F/M, Gen, Separated at Birth, Teenage Drama, lovers reunite, teenage angst, wibbly wobbly timey wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-04-30 21:36:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14505954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: When Wesley Crusher and Isabel Picard meet at boarding school, sparks fly and they make a startling discovery about their parents.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GottaHaveAName](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GottaHaveAName/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Role Reversal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12478320) by [AnnaOnTheMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon). 



> I blame GottaHaveAName. Completely and utterly. We were talking and I mentioned my currently unfinished fic, Role Reversal, and how I needed to get back to it, and GHAN said that they wished I had done it like a Parent Trap style storyline with the kids trying to get their parents together....so we chatted about the idea....and then I cursed GHAN and wrote this. Because, I don’t have enough ongoing fic projects, right?

Isabel Picard stomped her feet and shook her red curls.  “Papa, do I _have_ to?  Why can’t I stay with you?”  Jean-Luc sighed and pulled his thirteen-year-old daughter close. “I’m sorry, _Princesse_.  But I can’t take you on this mission. It’s too dangerous.”

“Then why are you going?”  Jean-Luc sighed.  “Admiral Quinn needs his best diplomatic negotiator.  That’s me.”

“Oh. But why can’t I go to La Barre and stay with Tante Marie and Oncle Robert?” 

“You’ll get a better education at the Junior Academy than you would in La Barre. Besides, your aunt is due to have her baby in a few weeks, and I don’t think it would be very fun for you to live with a newborn.  But Robert said you may visit on the weekends if you’d like.”

“Ok.  I can’t wait for Tante Marie to have the baby!  I hope it’s a girl.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “And what, _Princesse_ , if it’s a boy?” She wrinkled her nose.

“Well...I guess that would be ok too.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “That’s my girl.  You don’t have to leave for another few weeks, so how about you humour your old Papa and we watch one of those silly holocartoons?” 

###

“Can I go?”  Wesley threw a PADD down on the table in front of his mother.  “Go where?”

“Starfleet Junior Academy.” 

“Isn’t that a boarding school?”

“Yeah, but it’s for gifted kids and it looks really cool and I can even work on my nanobot technology there. Please, Mom?”   Beverly sighed.  Her son really was clever.  Too clever for the teachers on the base and they had been telling her for months that she should try to arrange for private tutors.  This might be the solution....but could she separate herself from her son?  She refused any assignment that she couldn’t bring Wesley along on, and even had taken him on her stint on the _USS Pegasus_ when he was only two.  She had been on Starbase 32 for the past nine years, and thought she might have a shot at the chief medical officer posting as soon as the current CMO retired.  Of course, she would have to take the commander class to earn her pips and she supposed it would be easier to take on the extra workload if she didn’t have to worry about Wesley...

“Tell you what, kiddo.  Leave the information with me and I’ll _think about it_.”  Wesley’s eyes brightened. “Really, Mom?” 

“Really.  When is the deadline for applying?”

“Next week...”

“ _Wesley Robert Crusher!_ Why did you wait so long to ask me?”

“Uhhh,” Wesley looked at his feet.  “I was afraid you’d say no.”

“I see.  Well, you had better hope this doesn’t affect my decision.  Now go and finish your homework before dinner.”

“Yes, Mom.”

###

Jean-Luc did his best not to cry as Isabel hugged him goodbye with tears in her eyes.  “Papa, I don’t want you to go.”

“I know, _Princesse_.  I don’t want to go either, trust me. But I will call you as often as I can, and I expect letters.  You’ll have new friends in no time!” 

Isabel gave her father a wary look.  “Maybe.  But no one wants to be friends with the smart kid of the Captain’s.” 

“Here, you’ll be with other smart kids, and I bet even some kids of Admirals and other Captains. You won’t stick out, I promise, Belle.” He reached out and tapped her nose and she giggled.  “I’m not allowed to go into your dormitory – no men allowed, not even fathers – so I’ll have to say goodbye to you here.”  

“Ok, Papa.  Papa, _je t’aime.“_ Jean-Luc smiled.  “ _Je t’aime tellement Princesse_.“ He kissed his daughter on her forehead. “Now go on in before your old Papa starts blubbering.” 

“Bye Papa...see you soon?”

“Sooner.”  He waved as his daughter entered her dormitory and sighed. It was going to be a long three months. 

On the other side of the campus, Beverly Crusher was fighting back tears of her own as she hugged her son close.  “Ugh, Mom!  Really?” 

“Sorry, Wes.  You know, this will be the first time we have been apart since you were a baby.  I never took an assignment unless you were with me.” 

“I know, Mom.  But...this place is so cool!”  Beverly sighed. _Teenagers_.  “I expect you to call me every day.”

“ _Mo-om!_ ” 

“Every other day?”  

“Ugh, Fine. God, Mom. “  Beverly grinned and pulled her son close so she could kiss his forehead. “Mom!  Come on, I’m too old for kisses.”

“Wes, you’ll never be too old for kisses from your mother.”  Wesley rolled his eyes and grabbed the edge of his trunk on wheels. “I gotta go or all the good beds will be claimed.  Bye, Mom!”

“Bye, Wes. I love you.”  Wesley rolled his eyes again. “Yeah, I love you too, Mom.”  Beverly grinned through her tears and watched Wesley walk into the boy’s dormitory.  Her quarters on Starbase 32 were about to feel very empty and quiet.

###

“Hi! I’m Isabel, but everyone calls me Belle.”  The boucy red-head placed her lunch tray down on the table and sat down next to Wesley.  Wesley eyed her.

“That’s a nice name . My grandmother’s name is Isabel.”

“Oh neat.  I think it might be my grandmother’s name too, but Papa’s grandmother’s name was Yvette Picard, not Isabel.”

“Picard?”

“Uh-huh.  My Papa is Captain Jean-Luc Picard.” Wesley shot daggers at the girl.  “I know who your dad is.” 

“You do?”  Isabel looked at the brown-haired boy inquisitively.  “Did your parents serve with him?”

“You could say that.”  Isabel gave Wesley a blank look, and he continued. “Your dad killed my dad.” 

Isabel’s blue eyes flashed with anger.  “He did not! Take it back!”

“He did and I can prove it! Ask him about Jack Crusher! I bet he never told you about him, did he?!”  Isabel paled.  While her father had been Captain of the _Stargazer_ , she had been staying with her aunt and uncle in La Barre, and she remembered when she was five her father had shown up unannounced and had woke her up just to give her a hug and to tell her that he loved her.  She didn’t understand at the time, but he had told her a few years ago that it had been hard losing his friend Jack.

“I....”

“Your _papa_ ,” Wesley spit out the word, “came to see me and Mom and told us Dad had died in an accident.  He was Dad’s Captain. He should have saved him.” 

“Oh. I...I didn’t know. I mean, I knew a friend of his had died...”

“Well, now you do.  So you should just leave me alone and go eat someplace else!”

“I...Sorry.”  Isabel picked up her tray and carried it over to an empty table before Wesley could see the tears in her eyes.

When Jean-Luc called Isabel that evening, she decided against telling him about the boy she had met. She didn’t even know the boy’s name, only that he was Jack Crusher’s son, and didn’t want to upset her father.  Instead, she applied some make-up one of the older girls lent her to hide her red-rimmed eyes. 

“Hi, Papa.”

 _“_ Princesse. _Settling in well?”_ Jean-Luc eyed his daughter through the monitor.  There was no familiar sparkle in her eyes, and he wondered if he should have refused the assignment to stay home with his daughter. He had hated when he had left her behind in La Barre when she was younger, but he couldn’t have her on the _Stargazer_.  The destruction of the _Stargazer_ had almost been a blessing in disguise because he had been able to have Isabel with him at Starfleet Command for the past eight years.  He was hoping to get the Captaincy for one of the new Galaxy class ships that would be permitting family to live on board. 

“It’s fine. My roommates are cool. “

_“You don’t look happy.”_

“I’m fine, Papa.  Honest.”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  There was something she wasn’t telling him.  _“Have you started classes yet?”_

“Not yet, Papa.  We have to take aptitude tests for placement, but I’ve already talked to the teachers in the science building.  I told them how I want to be a doctor and develop nanobot technology to assist with surgery and they’re really interested.  I guess there’s another kid who wants to develop nanobots, so they think we might be able to work together on a special project instead of regular classes.”  Isabel’s eyes lit up as she continued to babble on to her father about nanobot technology and medicine and all sort of things that flew right over Jean-Luc’s head but made him smile and think of Isabel’s mother, his ex-wife. 

 _“You remind me so much of your mother.”_ Isabel smiled.  It wasn’t often her father brought up her mother.  She didn’t even know where her mother was or if she was alive. She just knew her parents had an argument when she was six months old and her Papa had left with her.

“Thanks, Papa. Papa, I gotta go. We only have one comm and the other girls are waiting their turn.”

 _“Ok,_ Princesse _._ je t’aime”  Jean-Luc smiled and kissed his fingers before waving them at the monitor.  “ _je t’aime tellement_ , Papa.”

Jean-Luc ended the call and sat back at his desk and thought about Isabel’s mother for the first time in many years.  She had been...the best thing that had happened to him.  He saw so much of his ex-wife in his daughter every day, and it wouldn’t be long before his daughter grew up into the beauty that her mother was.  Jean-Luc regretted what happened between them.  It was so long ago, he didn’t even remember who had been mad at who first, but he had shown up in La Barre with six-month-old Isabel and his brother and sister-in-law had taken him in and taken care of Isabel when he had to return to the _Stargazer_ after his leave had run out.  “Enough thinking about the past, Johnny.  You can’t go back in time and change things.  You agreed to no contact.”  He sighed and pushed back from his desk. A cup of tea, and a book sounded like a good idea.  His quarters on board the _Malvern_ were sparse, but accommodating.

###

“Hey, Wesley! You have a call. It’s your _mommy_....”  Wesley rolled his eyes.  His mother had been calling him every other day and the other boys in the dorm had started making fun of him for it.  Wesley had tried to explain that it was only him and his mom since his dad died when he was little, but his roommates continued to make fun of him. 

“Mom, Again? We just spoke day before yesterday!”

 _“I know, Wesley.  I can’t help it. I miss you. And I worry about you.”_ Wesley rolled his eyes.  “I’m fine, Mom.  I don’t have anything new to tell you.”

 _“Oh.  How did the testing go?”_ Wesley grinned.  “Tested out of almost everything. “

_“That’s my boy.  You really take after your father, you know that?  He was brilliant. Though more of an astrophysist than an engineer.”_

“Thanks, Mom.  Oh, Mom! I _do_ have something really cool to tell you.  I talked to Robotics about my nanobots project and they want me to work with another student interested in nanobot technology.  This is going to be so cool!”  Beverly smiled at her son’s enthusiasm, but had a pang of guilt that she missed him and wished he was back with her on Starbase 32. _“That’s great, Wes.  I’m really proud of you.”_ Wesley beamed at his mother. 

“Cool. Mom, I gotta go.  Do me a favour? Wait more than a day before you call me again?  Please?  It’s kinda ruining my reputation.”  Beverly laughed. _“Sure, Kiddo. Can you at least tell your mom you love her?”_

“Mo-om!”  Wesley rolled his eyes.  “Love you, Mom.”

_“Love you too, Wes.  Have a good night.”_

###

All Starfleet Junior Academy students were required to wear a uniform. The uniforms were the same as Starfleet Academy, with black shoulders and the main body denoting which area you were specialising in. Each student was also issued a communications badge featuring the traditional Starfleet logo with a SJA imprinted across it.  Isabel looked at herself in the mirror and grinned.  She was wearing a blue uniform for the science branch and had a pale blue labcoat she had found in one of her father’s boxes in the attic in La Barre.  She didn’t know where the coat had come from, and neither had her aunt and uncle, but they had told her she could have it. She thought it was perfect for a scientist/doctor as the coat had pockets to keep things in.  Once she reached the lab, she would be assigned a tricorder for her own use and she would keep it in her lap coat pocket instead of using one of those pockets that clipped to her trousers.  She had her roommate snap a holopic and she sent it to her father before she picked up her satchel and headed for the lab.

Isabel was surprised when she entered the lab and saw a boy wearing Engineering gold sitting at one of the tables with his back to the door.  “Am I late?”   The instructor and the boy turned to look at her.

“It’s _you!”_

“Oh no, what are you doing here?”  The instructor looked between the two Junior Cadets and grinned. “So you know each other?  Great! You’ll be working together on your nanobots project.” 

“I..what?!” 

“No.  I can’t possibly.”

 The instructor held up his hand.  “You are working together and you will, if either of you expect to make it into Starfleet Academy.” Isabel and Wesley both sighed.  Neither one of them wanted to disappoint their parent and Isabel knew a medical degree from Starfleet Medial Academy was the best medical degree in the Federation. 

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

 “Right. I can tell you two are going to get along famously.  So, before we start, I think the two of you had better spend some time together and get over whatever this animosity is you have for each other. Why don’t you two talk and get to know each other a bit better?”  Wesley glanced over at Isabel.  “Hey, my mom has a labcoat like that. Where did you find that?”

“In the attic at my aunt and uncle’s house.” 

“Oh. Cool.”

“So...Engineering?”  Wesley grinned. “Yeah.  My dad was in Astrophysics and my mom is a Doctor.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I _like_ astrophysics, but I’m really interested in engineering.  Or maybe Command.  I’m not entirely sure yet. You?  Science, right?”

“Medicine, actually.  I’m hoping to get into Starfleet Academy and then Starfleet Medical Academy. “

“Cool.”  The two lapsed into silence, having run out of things to say to each other. Their instructor clapped his hands. “Right. I think you two are dismissed. I will rearrange your schedules and inform you by this afternoon of your new schedules. For now, I want you both to report to study hall.” 

The Junior Cadets nodded and picked up their bags.  As they went out of the room, Wesley grumbled. “This sucks.”

“Yeah, it sure does.”

###

“Ugh, what do you mean, you want the Nanobots  to perform delicate surgery?  They’re for repairing ship and computer components you can’t easily reach.”  Wesley glared at Isabel.

“No. They’re for medical use.  Can you imagine programming a nanobot to repair a torn liver?  Or to fix a hole in a heart?  Unblock a blocked artery?  Nanobots are perfect for medicine.”  Isabel glared back.

“That’s what surgery is for. I thought you wanted to be a doctor?”

“I agree, but what if you had to perform the surgery on a baby?  Or on an adult who is too weak to undergo surgery?  Just inject a few pre-programmed nanobots and boom!  Fixed.”  Wesley rolled his eyes.

“You can’t use robots to fix people.”

“Why not? People have mechanical limbs and organs.  Why not use mechanics to fix them?”

“People don’t have mechanical organs.”  Wesley retorted. 

“They do,”  Isabel spoke softly.  “My Papa . He.....he has an artificial heart.”

“Why didn’t they clone a heart for him?”

“I don’t know.  I think it was an emergency because he got stabbed by a Nausiccan.”  Wesley’s eyes went wide. “Your father got into a fight with a Nasicaan?”  Isabel nodded. “Wicked.”

“So you see, having programmable nanobots could help if he had a problem with his heart – you could send in the nanobots like a camera on a scope to see what the problem was and then use them to fix it.”

“I still don’t think that’s right.  Nanobots are _computers_. They belong repairing ships and computers.”

Their fight went on and on, each more passionate than the other until their instructor stepped in.  “That’s enough!  Now, I’ve watched the two of you interact for two weeks so far an all you do is fight with each other like a pair of siblings.”

“Ew.”

“Gross.”  Mr Eggio tried to conceal his eye roll.  “If you’re going to act like siblings, you’re going to live like siblings.”

“Sir?”

“That’s right. We’re all moving into a suite together.  If  you’re not sleeping in your room or in the bathroom, I expect the two of you to be together.  You will eat together, attend class together, study together,  and have your recreational activities together.  Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Sir.” Both Junior Cadets mumbled.

###

The Junior Cadets had been sharing a schedule for two weeks so far, and it wasn’t going well.  The first few days they had shared the suite, neither one had spoken to the other. They studied in silence and ate their dinner in silence, and watched the holoscreen in silence.  They only spoke to each other when they were in their lab, and then it was usually to argue the same argument they had been fighting before over the use of nanobots.  Wesley finally said something to Isabel when he had to pick up one of her PADDs off the sofa in their common area. 

“Can’t you keep your things in your own room?”

“I was reading that out here.”

“Well, keep it in your room when you’re not.  I don’t want to have to look at your stuff. And Ugh, Can’t you  hang up your lab coat?”

“I don’t know, can you put your smelly shoes on the shoe rack instead of the middle of the floor where I trip over them?”  Wesley smirked.  It _had_ been kind of funny when she tripped. 

“Sorry.”

“No you’re not.  I could have broken something!”

“Stop being so dramatic.” 

“I am not!

“You are too!” 

“Ugh, you’re so hard to live with!”  Isabel stomped off to her bedroom and flung herself on the bed, crying.  “We’re not supposed to lock ourselves in our bedrooms.  I’m going to tell Mister Eggio!”

“I don’t care!”  Isabel cried through her closed door.  She sat up and picked up her PADD and asked it to connect her to the _USS Malvern_ and then to connect her to Captain Picard.

“Papa!” Isabel sniffed.

“Princesse _? Are you alright?”_ Jean-Luc looked at his tear-stained daughter with concern.

“I don’t want to stay here anymore. Can I please go to La Barre and stay with Tante Marie and Oncle Robert?”  Jean-Luc softly smiled at his daughter.  _“I’m sorry.  Tante Marie was put on bed rest – the pregnancy has been rough on her.  She wouldn’t be able to look after you.  And besides, I thought you were getting excellent practice for being at the Academy?  What about your special nanobot project?”_  

Isabel sniffed. “My lab partner is mean to me.”

“ _Well, tell her to stop!_ ”

“He, Papa.  My partner is a boy.  His name is W-“

 _“Maybe he likes you,”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his daughter.  “ _When I was your age, I didn’t know how to get a girl’s attention.  I can remember doing stupid things to get her attention.”_   Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Eww. Papa.  No. He’s just mean.”

 _“Have you talked with your teachers about it?”_ She nodded.  “They said we had to learn to get along.”

_“Wise words.  You know, if you want to become a doctor on a spaceship, you might have to work with people you don’t like.  I know I do occasionally as Captain.”_

“What do you do?”

 _“Well, I try to avoid them and only deal with them in professional situations.”_   Isabel frowned.  She had tried to ignore him for the past two weeks except in lab and it wasn’t working.  “Papa, I’ve been ignoring him and it doesn’t work. _Pleeeeaaassseeee_  can I go to La Barre?  Or hey, can I go stay with Uncle Wally?”

Jean-Luc laughed. “Princesse, _Uncle Wally is on the Horatio.  He just got assigned there.”_

“Oh.  This sucks.”

“ _Isabel...”_

“Sorry, Papa.” 

 

“Mom, my lab partner is really annoying. It’s not fair Mister Eggio is making us live together.”  Beverly laughed at her son.  _“What did you do?”_

“Me? Nothing.  I mean...I might have fought with her a lot.  But she wants to use the nanobots for surgery and other medical things and not for repairing computers.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. _“Sounds like my kind of girl.”_

“Ugh. You probably _would_ like her.  She even wears one of those blue lab coats like you do.”

_“I hadn’t realised those became standard.”_

“They’re not, but Belle  - that’s her name – found it in her aunt and uncle’s attic.”

 _“Ah, I see.  Wesley, sweetheart, do you_ like _Bella?”_ Wesley shrugged. “Not really. I mean, she’s kind of a pain.  She yelled at me for leaving my boots in the common room but then yesterday I tripped on her tap shoes.” 

_“Tap shoes?”_

“Yeah.  She takes tap and ballet.  I guess she was really good where she used to live because she got special permission to go off campus for her dance class.  I went with her last time because Mister Eggio made me.  It was boring.”

 _“Hey, your mother used to tap dance.”_ Wesley rolled his eyes. “I know, Mom.  I haven’t forgotten The Dancing Doctor.  Hey – Belle wants to be a doctor.  I might have to start calling her that.”

_“Sounds like you like her if you want to tease her.”_

“Ew. Mom.  No.  Gross.”  Beverly chuckled, secretly relieved that her thirteen-year-old son hadn’t yet discovered girls.  _“Alright, sweetheart.  I’m sorry, I have to go. But I’ll call you in a few days. Try to be nice to...what was her name? Bella?  I know it’s hard for you, but maybe try to look at it from her perspective. Maybe she lost a relative to a procedure or disease that could have been saved by nanobots.  Perhaps there’s a way you_ both _can use your nanobot project for what you want.  It’s not like there are any rules against using something in two departments.  I mean, we all use tricorders.  We use a medical tricorder, but Engineering have tricorders calibrated differently, and even away team missions take tricorders to scan and record.  Think about it.”_

“Ok, Mom.”

 _“I love you sweetheart.”_  Beverly blew a kiss at the monitor.  “Love you too, Mom.”

Both teenagers tried to be nicer to each other, but the bickering continued.  Mister Eggio was starting to lose his patience with his two prize students. It was a month into the semester, and while they were making progress on their nanobot technology, they still constantly threw little barbs at each other and at least one per day one of them threw something at the other and stormed out of the lab. 

Their fighting was even worse when they were back in their suite as everything the other did was annoying or wrong.  Mister Eggio had finally had it. 

“Are you two _sure_ you aren’t related?” Isabel had scrunched up her face at that comment. “Eww. I don’t want to be related to _him._ ”

“Ugh, I’m not related to that know-it-all.  Although...”

“What.”  Isabel said through clenched teeth.  “You kinda look like my mom when you’re angry. But it’s probably because she has red hair, too.” 

“Oh.  Well, you know. You kinda look like my Papa if I squint a little.”

“My father died when I was five.  I told you, his name was Jack Crusher and _your_ father killed him.” 

“I TOLD YOU TAKE THAT BACK!  MY PAPA DID NOT KILL YOURS!”  Isabel was screaming with her hands on her hips and tears streaming down her face.  Her father was _not_ a murderer, no matter what Wesley Crusher said. 

“Look, I bet you can find the old log files for the _Stargazer_. Why don’t you take a break and go to the library together.  Then, you can settle this.”  Isabel glared at her instructor. “Are you taking Wesley’s side?  Do you think my father is a murderer?!”  Mister Eggio patted the young girl’s arm. “I’m not taking sides at all, Belle.  But this isn’t the first time the two of you have fought like this, and I think reading the old reports or listening to them, whichever format they are in, might help to clear up the accident that killed Wesley’s father.”

“Fine, but my papa did _not_ murder his.” 

The two teenagers strode into the library and headed straight to one of the archive computers.  Isabel let Wesley take the lead and sat in the chair next to him. 

“Computer: Display logs for the _USS Stargazer_ , 2354.” 

“ _Please specify a stardate range.”_

“Ugh.  Hang on, let me calculate this.....”  Wesley pulled a PADD and a stylus towards him and started making calculations.

“Computer: Display logs for the _USS Stargazer_ , stardate range 31710.60 to 31718.43.”

“ _Compiling. Stand by.”_ Text and audio file numbers began scrolling across the screen and Wesley inserted a data chip and transferred the files onto the chip.  “Should we take this to our lounge? We can read it on the large monitor in there.”

“Alright.”  Isabel slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Wesley. 

Wesley inserted the Data chip and soon the room filled with the words of the captain of the _Stargazer,_ Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  Isabel smiled listening to her father’s rich voice.

_"Captain’s Log_

_It is with deepest regret and sadness I must report the death of Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jack Crusher.  Jack died in the line of duty, saving the ship from certain explosion. We had a buildup of energy within the port-side lower nacelle, which required immediate removal.  Commander Crusher and Lieutenant Joseph volunteered and against my better judgement I allowed it.  The ship rocked with an explosion and by the time I went outside in my own EVA suit, Lieutenant Joseph was unconscious, and Commander Crusher was dead. I brought his body back inside and resuscitation was attempted. See Sickbay log for more information and details of both men’s injuries.   I will be informing his wife, Doctor Beverly -_  There had been a barely audible sigh. – _Doctor Beverly Crusher, currently stationed on Starbase 32.  We aim to be there within the week.  End Log."_

Wesley frowned . His father had volunteered to go out? Why would he do that?  Isabel noticed there was a personal log attached and she tapped on the personal log.  Once again, her father’s voice filled the room.

_"Captain’s Personal Log_

_I didn’t want Jack to go outside.  I told him to think about Beverly and Wesley, and he had only grinned at me and reminded me that I had Isabel and I could look after Beverly and Wesley if anything happened to him.  As if it was so simple.  But now, Jack is dead and I...._

_Tomorrow we arrive at Starbase 32, and I have to face my ex-wife and son and tell her that her second husband and step-father to Wesley is dead.  I haven’t seen Wesley or Beverly since the divorce five years ago, and I don’t know how I will handle it.  I’ve often thought about Wesley, especially when I look at my own sweet Isabel and I wonder if Beverly and I made the right choice to separate them when they were younger-"_

Isabel abruptly stopped the playback and turned to look at Wesley.  Both had looks of horror mixed with surprise on their faces. 

“S...Siblings?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really fun to write and flowing. I think because there isn't a lot of all out drama in it (yet), it's flowing.

“No...we...can’t....” Isabel was curled up in a ball in the corner of the sofa. “Papa wouldn’t....lie to me....he wouldn’t...deny me having a mom...Would he?” 

Wesley didn’t know what to do.  He felt some weird brotherly affection for the girl, and he guessed that was why they kept fighting so much.  Perhaps a part of them knew they were siblings.  Should he give her a hug?  He reached out and patted her knee.  “Let’s start with something easy. When’s your birthday?”

“July..29...”

“Me too!” 

“That doesn’t mean anything.  Lots of people have the same birthday.”   Wesley frowned. He was pretty sure hearing Captain Picard say he was his son was pretty solid proof, but he could see where Isabel was coming from.  “Look, we’ll look up our birth certificates.  Computer: Display birth record for Wesley Robert Crusher and Isabel...”

“Yvette.”

“Isabel Yvette Picard.”

 _“No such listing for Wesley Robert Crusher.  Displaying record for Isabel Yvette Picard.”_ A birth certificate flashed up on the screen, showing Isabel was part of a multiple birth and listed her parents as Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Howard Picard.  Wesley frowned.  Why didn’t he have a birth certificate?

“Dummy, ask it for Wesley Robert _Picard_.”

“Oh, Right. Computer: Display birth record for Wesley Robert Picard.”  Sure enough,  his birth certificate listed his legal name as Picard, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard as his father.  Isabel gasped.  “So...it’s true? You’re my...twin?”  Wesley grinned. “I guess so.”

“ _Non. Je refuse de croire que papa me garderait loin de ma mère.”_ Isabel crossed her arms and glared at the monitor.

“Isabel...Belle...I don’t speak French.  What did you say?”

“Hmmph.  All Picards speak French.  You’re not a Picard.” 

“Look, I’m not too pleased with this either.  I grew up thinking my father was dead and I find out he was alive?  And he even came to see me when I was five and didn’t bother to tell me he was my real father?  What kind of parents do we have who lied to us for thirteen years?!”  Isabel sniffed.

“What are we going to do now? Should we...should we tell Papa and...Maman... we know?” 

“No. Not yet.  I mean...Mom never married again after Jack and always told me it was because she was still in love with my father.  I thought she meant Dad...I mean, Jack.  But what if she meant my real dad...our dad?”

“Papa tells me he misses my mother all the time and has never loved anyone else as much as he loved her.”  Wesley cocked his head and studied his sister. “You know....You really _do_ look like Mom.  Here, let me show you a picture.”  Wesley went into his room and brought out a picture of Wesley and his mother, taken on his thirteenth birthday.  “Look.  You have the same colour hair and eyes, and even your nose is the same shape.”  Isabel giggled to try to hide the tears that threatened as she looked at a picture of her mother for the first time.  She poked Wesley in the nose. “You definitely have the Picard nose.”

“Hey!” 

“You’ve seen Papa.  Oncle Robert’s nose is the same size.”  Wesley grinned. “I haven’t seen...Papa,” Wesley tried the French word out and Isabel giggled again.  “Oh, we have to get you some French pronunciation lessons.”

“I was trying to say, I haven’t seen Dad...our dad..since Dad...er..Jack...I guess my stepdad?  Died.”

“Papa’s bald now.  Congratulations, you’ve probably inherited the Picard family hairline too!”  Isabel giggled and Wesley groaned. “Ugh, thanks, Sis.” 

“I kinda like that.” 

“Like what?”

“You calling me sis...Bro.” She nudged his shoulder and Wesley smiled. “Hey, did you say we have an Uncle Robert?” 

“No, it’s Ro _bear_ ,” she put emphasis on the French pronunciation. “Hmm. I wonder if that’s why my middle name is Robert.  Wesley was my grandpa’s middle name...and I guess they named you after our grandmothers.”

“I wonder why they divorced when we were babies?” 

“Dunno.  But Mom married my stepdad...I wonder how old I was?  Computer: Display marriage certificate for Beverly Howard Picard and Jack Crusher.”  Wesley gasped.  His mother had married Jack when he was two.  “I wonder why she married Jack?”

“Dunno.  Can this thing show us their divorce papers?” 

“I don’t know.  Computer: Show divorce papers for Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Howard Picard.”

_“Unable to comply. Records require authorisation to display.  Showing proof of filing.”_

“Well, that answers that.” Isabel suddenly burst into giggles.  “What’s so funny?”

“Papa...Papa said that you probably _liked me_ and that’s why we were fighting.” 

“I....I...Ew.  No offense, Belle.  I mean, you’re pretty, but...you’re my _sister_.” 

“None taken.  I always knew there was something familiar about you....now I know.”

“Yeah.  Now we know.”  Isabel’s stomach rumbled and Wesley laughed. “Hungry?” 

“A little.  I skipped Lunch.” 

“Well...I guess we’re still stuck here together unless we tell Mister Eggio what we found out.”

“Don’t.”

“What? Why not, Isabel?”

“It’s kinda a cool secret. And if we tell Mister Eggio, he’ll probably tell our parents.”

“Good point.  Hey, want spaghetti for dinner?” 

“Ok.”

The newly discovered siblings ate dinner together and then curled up on the sofa together to do their homework.  Isabel fell asleep leaning against her brother’s shoulder, and Wesley couldn’t help but put his arm around her.  It might be nice to have a sister, even if it had to be Isabel.  Wesley wondered if that was why they both had been interested in the same area of technology, just with different applications. He wondered what his life would have been like if their parents had stayed together and he drifted off to sleep dreaming about a life he never had. 

Isabel woke later with a sore neck and she gently nudged her brother awake. “We should probably go to bed in our own beds.” 

“Yeah.  I was having this dream about us...and Mom and Dad. We were all happy together and Mom was kissing Dad...”

“I had the same dream!  This has to be a twin thing.”  Wesley rolled his eyes. “Or, we both were thinking about our parents, so we had similar dreams.”

“Nope. Twin thing.”   Wesley shook his head. “If you say so.  I’m going to bed.  See you in the morning?”  Wesley stood up and walked towards his bedroom. He got halfway across the common room when Isabel said in a small voice, “Wes?” He turned around. “Yeah?”

Isabel hurled herself into his arms and hugged him tight.  “I’m glad you’re my brother.”   Wesley awkwardly patted her back.  “Yeah,  me too.  I mean,  I’m glad you’re my sister.”

In the morning, the siblings started to hatch a plan. They didn’t want to let on to Mister Eggio or anyone else that they were indeed siblings, so they needed to conceal their discovery.

“Well, I guess we _can_ say that Papa didn’t kill my Dad.  Considering he _is_ my dad.  And...I kinda regret ever accusing him of killing my stepdad. I guess I was just upset and trying to search for a reason why it happened....but if Dad...Jack...volunteered....I don’t know.”   Isabel  placed a hand on Wesley’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  “It’s ok, Wes.  You can call Jack your Dad.  I don’t think Papa would mind. I mean he _was_ your dad as far as you knew.  But tell me about Mom....please?” 

Over a breakfast of croissants (Isabel’s choice) and sweet milky coffee (Wesley’s choice), he told his sister all about their mother.  “Mom’s brilliant.  She never took an assignment that she couldn’t take me on with her, and in fact, the only reason I’m here is because I begged her to let me go.  I’m really glad I did, or I might not have met you.”

“So you grew up all over?”  Wesley nodded. “Mostly we were on Deltan Four, Starbase 32, and for some reason, we lived in Kansas City for a few years.  But Mom is from Luna.  Her parents were killed when she was four and she went to live with Nana first on Arvada Three and then on Caldos. I guess she met Papa the same time she met Dad when she was at the Academy through Uncle Wally.”

“Hey, I call him Uncle Wally too! He’s Papa’s best friend.”  Wesley nodded. “He’s Mom’s too.  I guess Uncle Wally knew we were sibling and never told us either.” Wesley frowned.  “Are any of the adults in our life honest with us?”  Isabel shrugged.

“I lived with Tante Marie and Oncle Robert until I was five and a half while Papa was on the _Stargazer._   After it was destroyed, Papa and I moved to Command HQ.  He works for Admiral Quinn as a diplomatic negotiator.  Usually I get to go with him on his trips and I’ve been to really cool places like Vulcan and Pacifica, but this time he said I couldn’t go and that’s why he enrolled me here.” 

“Do you know where he is?”

“No.  He never told me. I know he’s on the _Malvern_ , but he’s not captaining it.” 

“Wow. Papa must be doing some real high security stuff!” Isabel frowned. “I guess.  Wes...what if something goes wrong and something happens to Papa?” 

“I’m sure he’s fine.  I don’t think they would send him somewhere dangerous, do you?” Isabel tore her croissant into tiny pieces on the plate. “I don’t know.  But it’s the first time I wasn’t allowed to go with him.”  Isabel threw her plate back into the replicator.  “I’m not hungry.  I’m going to go take a shower and get dressed.” 

Isabel retreated to her room and threw herself down on the bed.  She _should_ go take a shower since she and Wesley had to be in the lab in an hour, but...everything was so new to her. She had a mother.  A live, breathing, loving, mother...or at least, Wesley said she was loving.  But how could she have abandoned her only daughter? _Did she not want me? Why didn’t Papa take Wesley and leave me with Mom...wouldn’t that have made more sense?  Would have made that whole ‘your body is changing’ talk easier. Hmm. I wonder if Wesley’s had that talk from Maman.  Maman.  I have someone I can call Maman.  I want to meet her.  I need to see her and ask her if she loves me.  She probably doesn’t and that’s why she didn’t want me._ Isabel started to cry and clutched the battered old stuffed lambkin she had since she was a baby and idly wondered if Wesley had a similar animal. 

From the other side of the door, Wesley heard his sister crying and he didn’t know what to do.  Girls were a mystery to him, and he had the added bonus of being related to this one.  He decided to call his mother, but wouldn’t tell her he knew Belle was his sister. 

“Computer: Call Starbase 32.  Office of Doctor Crusher, Assistant MO.”

_“Calling....You are now connected.”_

“Mom?”

_“Hi sweetheart, is everything ok?”_

“Mom, remember I told you about the girl I have to work with?” 

_“Bella?”_

“Close enough.  She’s really upset and I can hear her crying through her door and I dunno what to do.” 

_“Did you make her cry?  If you were mean you better apologise, young man.”_

“No, Mom!  I didn’t do anything.  I think she had some....news from home.”  Wesley desperately hoped his mother couldn’t tell he was telling a white lie. It wasn’t _strictly_ a lie.  She did get some news about her family...

Beverly sighed.  When did her son become such a grown up who wanted to make his friends feel better?  “ _You could bring her a cup of tea.  Try Jasmine green tea. And then give her a hug and tell her you’re there for her if she needs a shoulder. And Wes, if she needs to cry on you, offer her a handkerchief.  Be a gentleman, ok?”_

“Ok, Mom.  Thanks. What if the tea doesn’t work?”

 _“Well, it’s not an instant cure, but it lets her know you care. You_ do _care about her, right?”_ Beverly raised her eyebrows at her son.

“Ugh, Mom! Not like that.  I just like her as a friend.  She’s kind of like....the _sister_ I never had.”  Wesley watched as his mother’s eyes went wide and stammered to respond. _“Well, I’m sorry that you had to be an only child. But I think we did ok, don’t you?”_

 “Yeah, it wasn’t bad.  Thanks for the advice, Mom. I’ll let you know if it worked.” 

“Bye Sweetheart, I love you.” 

“Love you too.” Wesley ended the call and went over to the replicator and followed his Mom’s advice, and he added a plate of chocolate chip cookies.   He carefully balanced everything on one hand and tapped on Isabel’s door.

“Isabel? Can I come in?” 

“GO AWAY!” 

“Issy, please?  I have cookies...” 

“Did you just call me Issy?”  The door opened and Wesley saw his sister with red rimmed eyes clutching a lamb plushie that looked familiar...”I’ll be right back.”  Wesley sat the plate and mug down on Isabel’s desk and dashed back to his room.  He rummaged in his trunk and pulled out his own lambkin and carried it over to Isabel’s room.  “Look.”

“I’ve had this lambie for as long as I can remember.”

“Me too.  Do you think we were given these together?”  Isabel’s eyes went wide.  “It would make sense.  Too bad they’re not like each containing half of an amulet that we put together and find out we’re related and save the galaxy.” 

“Uh...was that from a book?”

“Yeah.  _Secrets of the Heart_.  It was OK.  I liked _Harry Potter_ better.”

“Hey, me too.  But Mom wouldn’t let me read it at first. She had to read it.”  Isabel made a face. “Ugh, Papa did the same to me.”  Isabel picked up the cup of tea and sniffed. “Jasmine?”

“I, uh, thought it might make you feel better?” 

“Thanks, Wessy.”  Wesley raised his eyebrows. “ _Wessy?_ ”

“Well, if _you’re_ going to call me Issy, I get to call you Wessy.” Wesley grinned. “Fine.  I guess since you’re my twin, you’re allowed. But your friends better not call me Wessy!”  Isabel frowned.

“What friends?  I don’t really have a lot.”

“Me neither. Kind of because we moved around a lot, and kind of because no one really understood me.  I never had a best friend.”

“Me neither. But maybe that’s because I didn’t have you?  Like maybe I knew somehow that I was missing my twin so I never wanted to get close to any of my friends.” 

“Is that possible?” Isabel rolled her eyes. “It is in books.”

“Yeah, but Issy, this is real life, not a novel.”  Isabel grinned. “But it’d make a pretty good novel.  Twins, separated by their parents, both parents in Starfleet, sending us off to the same boarding school-“

“It’s the _only_ boarding school for Stafleet on Earth.” 

“Shh. You’re ruining my story!”  Wesley rolled his eyes. “Whatever.  Do you want to tell me why you’re upset?”

“You could tell?”

“Yeah.  Twin thing.”  Isabel grinned at her brother.  “What if Maman doesn’t want me?”

“That’s silly.  I’m sure Mom loves you.  What if Papa doesn’t want _me_?  He saw me when I was five and didn’t....do anything.”

“I bet Papa wanted to.  I bet he was afraid if you thought Jack was your real dad he didn’t want to hurt you....and I bet it was hard for him to see you and Maman again.” 

“I remember...he read me a story.  And he kissed my forehead before I went to sleep.  He was crying, but I thought he was crying because Dad had died...” 

“See? Papa wants you.  But I never saw Maman.  What if I did something awful and that’s why she didn’t want me?”  Wesley rolled his eyes again. “Issy, we were six months old.  I don’t think we did anything.  Papa and Mom probably had a stupid fight.  I bet they regretted it immediately.” Isabel’s eyes danced with mischief.

“Hmm.  Do you think we could get them back together?” 

“How?  Mom lives on Starbase 32 and Papa lives in San Francisco...or wherever he’s sent.”  Isabel frowned. “I don’t know.  Maybe on Parent’s weekend?”  Wesley shook his head. “Nope.  Mom already said she couldn’t get away for it.”  Isabel frowned. “I really want to meet her.”  Wesley reached out a hand and squeezed his sister’s. “You will, Issy.” 

The bell chimed signifying the start of lessons. “Oh shit!” 

“ _Wesley Robert Picard Crusher!”_ Wesley grinned.  “Hey, you sounded like Mom just then. Only, she wouldn’t use Picard, obviously.” 

“Obviously. I still need to shower and get dressed.”

“Well, I can skip a shower and get dressed pretty quickly. Do you want me to go and tell Mister Eggio that you’re not feeling well today?”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Ew. Boys are gross.  But....yeah.  Tell him I’ll come to lab later?  I might try to call Papa, too.”

“Are you going to tell him you know about me?”  Isabel shook her head. “No.  I think we should wait until we decide what to tell them.  Somehow, we have to get them together in the same place...”

“Yeah. Anyway, I better get changed. I’ll see you later, Sis.”

“Later, Bro.”

Isabel flung herself back on her bed.  Talking to Wesley had made her feel a little better, and it was almost nice to know he felt the same way as her, but she still felt as though she had been unwanted and unloved by her mother. She decided to call her father again.

_“Princesse, shouldn’t you be in class?”_

“I wasn’t feeling well today.”

 _“What’s wrong? Do you need the infirmary?”_ Isabel smiled at her father.  So like him to panic at the tiniest hint of an illness. “No Papa, I’ll be fine.”  Isabel studied her father’s face. “Papa, tell me about Maman?” 

_“What...ah...what did you want to know?”_

“Papa, there are certain things a girl....a _teenage girl_ needs her mother for....”  On screen, Jean-Luc coloured.  “ _Err...yes, well...I’m sure your Tante Marie wouldn’t mind if you called her....I know she’s busy with the pending arrival of the baby, but you know she would always make time for you.  Perhaps you could go visit this weekend and spend some time with her?”_ Isabel smiled.  “I might call her and ask.  But _Papa_ , I want to know about my mother.  What was she like?  You never...you don’t talk about her, only to tell me that I look like her.”

“ _You do.”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his daughter. _“You very much are the spitting image of pictures of your mother when she was your age.  I have no doubt in a few years time, you will look exactly like your mother did when I first met her.  You even have her freckles....”_ He got a far-off look in his eyes then, as if he was remembering some long-ago meeting and Isabel softly smiled.  “Yeah?”

_“Yes.  In fact, I see so much of your mother in you I sometimes have trouble seeing the Picard in you!”_

“Papa, don’t be silly.  Papa, what’s her name?” 

 _“_ Princesse _...._ Non.  _If I give you her name, you will be tempted to find her, and your mother and I made an agreement when we were divorced that there would be no contact.”_

“Why?  Don’t you  think Maman would want to know all about me?  Papa....does Maman not care about me?”  Tears filled Isabel’s eyes as her worst fears started to be confirmed.  Her mother, in fact, _didn’t_ want her. 

 _“Oh,_ Princesse. _Please don’t cry.  I’m sorry.  Your mother...she loves you very much.  Of this I am absolutely positive of.  It’s just that your mother and I had our reasons for not contacting each other and...I need to respect her wishes.  I’m sorry.”_ Isabel sniffed.  “I just want to know about her.”

 _“I know,_ Princesse, _I know.  Tell you what? When my mission is done, you and I will sit down with my photo album and I will tell you as many stories as I remember about your mother.”_

“Promise?”

 _“Of course.  And don’t forget, your Uncle Walker was friends with your mother.  He might have a few stories I’m not even aware of.”_ Isabel grinned.  Calling her uncle was definitely on her list of things to do, but she wanted to talk to Wesley first. 

“Papa, will you be at parent’s weekend?”  Jean-Luc’s face fell. “ _No,_ Princesse _, I’m sorry.  We’re too far out and at a crucial part in our negotiations . But why don’t you ask Oncle Robert and Tante Marie?”_

“Won’t they have the baby by then?” 

 _“Well, it’s worth calling them and asking.  Perhaps Oncle Robert could get away to come . I know he’s not me....but we have the same hairline.”_ Isabel laughed and rolled her eyes.  “Daaaddy....”  Jean-Luc grinned.  Isabel hadn’t called him Daddy since she was very small and had been taught the French version, Papa. 

 _“Ah, humour your old man.  I need to go.  Are you....are you_ sure _you’re alright?  I don’t need to worry?”_

“No, Papa. I’ll be fine.” 

 _“Good. I love you,_ Princesse.”

“I love you too, Papa.”  They closed the link and Isabel began to plot.  She would take a leisurely bath since she wasn’t expected at class and maybe even practice her ballet or tap.  Wesley would be back for Lunch, and she would go with him to the lab in the afternoon and tell Mister Eggio she was feeling better.  She grinned to herself. All she had to do was gesture to her abdomen and her male teacher wouldn’t ask any questions.  Sometimes,  being a girl had its advantages.

###

“Wessy, I have an idea.”  Wesley was shovelling a sandwich into his mouth when he looked up at his sister.  She made a face and he grinned and spoke through his food. “What’s that?”

“Ew. Maybe next time, chew and swallow? I think we should talk to Uncle Wally.” 

“You mean, like call him together over subspace?”  Isabel shook her head. “We should _both_ ask him to come to parent’s day since neither of our parents can.  See what he says.”

“Should we ask him together or separate?”

“Separate. Let’s make Uncle Wally squirm.”  Wesley grinned at his sister. “Who knew you were so scheming? I think I’m glad I’m on your side now.” 

“I’ll call him now.  Want to be in the room?  As long as you’re not in view of the monitor, Uncle Wally won’t see you.”

“Sure!”  Wesley picked up his sandwich and followed Isabel into her bedroom.  He sat on her bed and she wrinkled her nose. “Try not to put crumbs in my  bed?”

“I’ll set the servobot to clean, I promise.” 

“Hmm. Computer: Initiate call to the _USS Hood,_ Captain Keel.”

_“Hood here. How may I direct your call?”_

“Captain Keel please. Tell him it’s Isabel Picard.”  The Yeoman smiled at the young woman on the screen.  _“Of course. Standby.”_

_“Keel here.”_

“Hi, Uncle Wally!”

“Princesse! _How’s the junior academy?  Your papa tells me you’re doing a special project?”_  Isabel  nodded.  “Yeah.  I like it here.  It’s cool that instead of regular classes, we do independent study.  So I can work on pre-med things and my dancing.”  Walker grinned at his honorary niece.  _“Would this be pre-pre-med?”_ Isabel grinned. “Something like that.”

_“Belle, is something wrong?  You don’t seem to have your usual sparkle.”_

“I’m sorry, Uncle Wally.”  Isabel’s eyes filled with tears.  “Papa just told me he’s too far out to come to parent’s day, and I really miss him.  You know, this is the longest we’ve been apart since I was five?”  Walker nodded.  “ _I know, sweetheart.  I’m sure he wishes he was there instead of those negotiations he was telling me about.”_

“I was wondering...would you come?” 

_“Well....”_

“Please Uncle Wally?  I don’t want to be the only kid without a parental figure here.”  Walker couldn’t say no to the girl. She was the spitting image of Beverly, and he never could say no to her. He grinned at her.  _“Send me the dates, and I’ll see what I can do. No promises yet.”_

“Thanks Uncle Wally! I love you!”

 _“I love you too_ , Princesse.”  Isabel turned to Wesley.  “Your turn.”   Wesley stood. “Better call him from my room. Come on.” 

Isabel gingerly stepped into Wesley’s room.  “I’ve never been in a boy’s bedroom before. I mean, other than Papa’s.”  Wesley grinned. “Well, I had never been in a girl’s before, so we’re even.”  Wesley smoothed down the blanket. “You can sit on the bed.”

“Thanks.”

“ Computer: Initiate call to the _USS Hood,_ Captain Keel.”

_“Hood here. How may I direct your call?”_

“Captain Keel please. Tell him it’s Wesley Crusher.”  The Yeoman grinned.  She didn’t know anything beyond the fact that the girl who had just called was the daughter of his old friend, Captain Picard, and the boy was the son of another friend.  “ _Standby.”_

_“Keel here.”_

“Hi Uncle Wally!”

_“Wesley!  I wasn’t expecting a call from you.  How’s the Junior Academy treating you?”_

“It’s good, Uncle Wally.  We don’t have traditional classes, so we can concentrate on what we are most interested in.”

 _“I see you’re in engineering gold. Does your mother know?”_ Wesley grinned.

“I know Mom wants me to go into astrophysics or medicine, but I really like robotics.” 

 _“You won’t see me complaining, Wes. I started in Engineering. It’s a good place to start.”_ Wesley grinned at his Uncle. 

“Uncle Wally?  Mom said she can’t come to parent’s weekend because she’s studying for her exam. Would you come?  I don’t wanna be the only kid without someone visiting them.” 

_“Ah, well...”_

“Please, Uncle Wally?” 

 _“Ah, Kid. You have your mother’s smile....and lord knows, I could never say no to her.  Tell you what, I’ll do my best to get there, alright?”_ Wesley smiled. “Thanks Uncle Wally!  I gotta get back to my lab.  See you soon!”  Wesley closed the connection and Isabel giggled.

“Now, we have to decide how we want to confront Uncle Wally....

Back on the _Horatio_ , Walker Keel sat back in his chair and grinned. _Those kids.  I can’t believe Beverly and Johnny decided to send them to the same school...I’m not about to tell them.  Still, how can I manage to visit each of them without them finding out about each other?   This is going to be challenging...._


	3. Chapter 3

Isabel waited outside where the shuttles were landing.  She and Wesley decided she would go, because she would have a better chance of getting their uncle to come visit her room, whereas Wesley would have been more interested in showing Walker the lab and the man would have been suspicious if Wesley suggested visiting his dorm. 

Walker had told Wesley he would meet him in the afternoon, obviously thinking that he would spend a few hours with Isabel, tell her he needed to leave, and then find Wesley. Little did he know, Wesley was waiting for him in their suite.  He was waiting in his room until Isabel would ask Walker if he wanted to meet her suitemate.

Isabel grinned when she saw the tall, greying man exit his shuttle and ran towards him “Uncle Wally!!” Wally caught the teenager around her waist and spun her around. “Getting taller, Belle. Soon you’ll be taller than your uncle!”  Isabel laughed. Walker tugged on one of her curls. “I like the cut . It’s cute.”  Isabel shook her curls.  “I think I’m going to grow it long.”  Isabel took Walker’s hand in hers and started pulling him across the campus. “Come on, Uncle Wally, I want to show you my room!”

“Is it pink?”  He teased his honorary niece.  When she was nine, she wanted her room to be pink and Walker and Jean-Luc had spent an entire weekend painting the room for her. Her bedroom was still pink, because her father told her he wasn’t repainting it.  Isabel shook her head. “Nooo, I don’t like pink anymore.  Pink is for little girls.”  Walker laughed. “Belle, _Princesse_ , you will _always_ be your father and your uncle’s little girl.  I can still picture you in your pink tutu when you were seven performing the Nutcracker. You were such a cute sugar plum fairie.” 

“Uncle Waaaalllllyyyyy. Stop! I’m not a kid anymore!”

“No?”

“Uh-uh.  I’m a young woman.”  Walker sagely nodded at his niece.   “I see. So then, I suppose you don’t want a present?”  Isabel’s smile brightened. “You brought me a present?” 

“Yep.  Now, what did I do with it?”  Walker pretended to pat down his uniform and Isabel laughed.  “Oh, here it is!”  He pulled out a little box and handed it to Isabel.  She opened the box and grinned.  A pair of unicorn earrings.  She threw her arms around Walker again. “Thank you Uncle Wally!” 

“Your papa told me you had your ears pierced for your birthday, and I’m sorry I missed it.” 

“It’s ok.  I understand.  I can’t wait to put on my new earrings! Come on, Uncle Wally!”  Walker grinned and followed the ‘young woman’.  He felt badly lying to the girl, but the truth was he had spent her birthday with her twin brother, Wesley, and her mother, Beverly.  Walker always tried to alternate holidays with his friends and their children as he loved both Jean-Luc and Beverly.  If truth be told, he thought their arrangement was ridiculous and he worried what would happen when the children eventually found out.  Not to mention the fact that Beverly hadn’t seen her daughter since she was a baby except in photos, and Jean-Luc hadn’t seen his son since Jack died. 

Walker shook his head.  Perhaps he would be able to talk some sense into his best friends.  It was obvious they both still loved each other and were regretting their divorce.  Beverly had even confided in him that she regretted marrying Jack, but at the time she had been vulnerable and thinking about trying to reconcile with Jean-Luc when Jack had asked her out. 

Isabel dragged him into a dorm building comprised of suites. “I thought you were staying in the girl’s dorm?” 

“No...they moved me.  My lab partner and I share the suite with our advisor.  We...ah...didn’t get along and Mister Eggio thought if we lived together we might start to like each other.”  Walker grinned. “Did it work?”

“Kinda?  Come on, want to meet him?”

“ _Him?_! Does your father know you are sharing a suite with a boy?” 

“Uhhh...I dunno.  But Mister Eggio lives with us too. Besides, it’s not like anything would ever happen between us.”  Walker eyed his niece.  “You might say that now, _Princesse_ , but sometimes things happen when girls and boys share close quarters that they hadn’t planned on happening”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Trust me, Uncle Wally.  Nothing will ever happen between us.”  Walker raised his eyebrows at the girl and vowed to have a private chat with this boy she was living with.  Walker might not be Isabel’s father, but he thought he still might be able to put the fear of god into the kid.

Isabel opened the door and the suite reminded Walker of the ones at Starfleet Academy.  “My room is this way.  Want to see it or meet my roommate first?”

Walker cleared his throat.  “I, uh, think I’d like to meet this boy you’re living with. Maybe talk to him...man to man.  You know.”  Isabel swatted the older man. “ _Uncle Wally!_ ”.  She went over to Wesley’s bedroom door and knocked on it.  Wesley opened the door and Walker’s jaw dropped to the floor.

“Hi, Uncle Wally.” 

“Wesley! What are you doing here?”  He embraced his nephew.  Wheels started turning in his head.  He really didn’t want to tell the kids they were siblings, but he thought he had better just to be on the safe side.  Walker wondered if they had noticed the resemblance between them and their parents and hoped they hadn’t.  Wesley really did look like a younger version of his father, and Isabel was the spitting image of Beverly at age 13.

“Uh...I live here?  Issy and I are both into nanobots and uhh...” Wesley ran his hand on the back of his neck the same way his father did when he was nervous.  “We fought a lot, so Mister Eggio decided we would live together.”

“I see.”  Walker looked between the two teenagers. “Wait. Issy?” 

“Wessy! I told you not to call me that around other people!” 

 _“Wessy?!_ Look, kids, I know you probably like each other  but I think we need to sit down and I have to tell you a few things.  I shouldn’t be the one to tell you, but...”

“Uncle Wally, we know.”   His eye s went wide. “Y-you do?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So...what exactly do you  think you know?”

Isabel said “Wesley is my brother” at the same time Wesley said “Isabel is my sister.”  Walker’s jaw dropped for the second time. 

“H...how did you guys figure this out?”

Wesley shifted from one foot to the other. “I kinda...accused Papa of killing Dad.”  Walker’s eyebrows raised.  “I see.” 

“We looked up the logs from the _Stargazer._ Papa’s personal log said Wesley was his son and Wesley’s mom was his ex...Wesley and I share a birthday, so Wesley’s mom has to be my Maman. Then we, ah, looked up our birth certificates.” 

“Well, you two have certainly been the little sleuths. Have you told your parents you know?”

Isabel shook her head and her curls bounced as Wesley replied, “No.”

“Uncle Wally, we want our parents to get back together.”  Walker grinned. “Will you help?”

“ _Princesse_ , Wes....I’ve been wanting your parents to get back together since your father walked out with Belle.”  Walker sat down on the sofa and the teenagers took a seat on either side of him. “Uncle Wally, why did Papa leave with me?” 

“Ah...Belle... I don’t think that’s something I should be telling you.  You should probably talk to your papa about that.”

“He doesn’t talk about it, though.  He tells me how much he loves my mother-“  Walker’s eyebrows rose, “And he tells me how much I look like Maman, but he won’t tell me what happened.” 

Walker sighed. “Kids, your parents love you very much and love each other very much.”

“Funny way of showing it,” grumbled Wesley.  “I know, but hear me out.  Your parents had only been dating a few months when your mother found out she was pregnant, and your parents decided to get married. In the midst of all of this, your father was dealing  with the death of his father, who had disowned him, becoming a Captain and learning how to manage a ship....and your mother was trying to juggle a very tough pregnancy with you two, a new marriage,  her internship for med school, and her Lieutenant Commander exams.  It’s safe to say your parents just had a lot to deal with...and the first thing to break down was their relationship.”  Isabel frowned.

“Papa and Maman still love each other?”  Walker nodded. “I’m sure of it, _Princesse_.” 

“Why didn’t they get back together? Why did Papa leave with me and not Wes?”  Walker shrugged. “I can’t tell you their reasons for who got who, but when your papa left, they agreed they would each raise one of you separately.” 

“Uncle Wally, why did Mom marry Jack Crusher if she still loved Papa?”  Walker put his arm around Wesley. “Wes, my boy...because adults do stupid things.”

“Oh.  So, Mom thought she had made a mistake?”  Walker nodded.  “But don’t tell your mother I told you that!  She’d kill me.  She wants your picture of Jack to be one of perfection.” 

“I mean....I guess he was good dad. I didn’t see him a lot....” 

“So, my little schemers.  What plans do you have?”  Both teenagers shrugged.  “Nothing yet, Uncle Wally. We wanted to tell you we knew, and I was thinking I might bring Wesley with me to La Barre?”

“Oh, that will surprise your Oncle Robert all right.”  Isabel grinned.  “Do you think they would tell Papa?” 

“Tell you what. I’ll go with you. I took some leave to come see you two. Can you leave the Academy?”  Wesley nodded. “It’s parents weekend, so we’re allowed to leave with our parents or guardians as long as we get signed out and signed back in on Monday.” 

“Well, kids, go pack your bags. We’re going to France.”  Walker was suddenly very happy that both Jean-Luc and Beverly had listed him as a guardian with the Academy for the children. 

Once they were in the shuttle, Walker called the vineyard while the teenagers were  stowing their bags.  A very pregnant Marie answered the call.

“ _Walker, good to hear from you.  Is everyone alright?”_

“You’re positively glowing, Marie. When are you due?”

 _“Three weeks, but it feels like forever.”_ Walker chuckled. “I can remember when Beverly....anyway.  I have a certain little lady who would like to come visit this weekend if you’re up for visitors?” 

_“I always have room for my Isabel.  And you, of course.”_

“And we’re bringing a surprise for you and Robert...hope you don’t mind.” 

_“Not at all. When will we see you?”_

“Two...maybe three hours?  I have a shuttle from the _Horatio_.”

“ _Great, I’ll see you both then.”_  Walker disconnected the call and grinned.  He hoped the surprise didn’t cause pre-mature labour for Marie, but he didn’t want to tell her who he was bringing along.  “Wes, Belle?  Who’s co-piloting with me?” 

“Wessy is.  I get to co-pilot on the way back!”

“Very diplomatic of you two.”  Walker sat back and allowed the teenager to do most of the piloting, with supervision.  By  the time Wesley and Isabel were accepted at Starfleet Academy, they both would already know how to pilot a shuttle.

Walker wondered what he could do to help bridge the gap between Jean-Luc and Beverly.  The two had been miserable for the past thirteen years, minus the three years Beverly had been married to Jack before his death, but that relationship had been doomed from the start.  Beverly had been looking for a father for Wesley, and instead of trying to reconcile with Jean-Luc, had accepted a date with Jean-Luc’s other best friend, Jack Crusher.  Their relationship had been quick and Walker had been shocked when Beverly asked him to attend her wedding to Jack.   Jean-Luc, for his part, put on a smile and a congratulations for his best friend, but their friendship became strained.  When Jack died,  Walker thought for sure Jean-Luc would comfort Beverly and tell him how much he still loved her, but he had been stubborn. 

Walker decided he would just have to start talking about each of them to the other when he updated them on the children.  Both of them pretended  not to know that Walker was passing updates on the children, but of course, he couldn’t admit that they were both attending the same school.  He would have to have a think about this.  Naturally, he would be able to tell Beverly about taking Isabel to La Barre, but would have to conveniently leave out that her son had tagged along.

“Wes, your mom is going to find out I signed you out. Where are we going to tell her I took you?”

“I dunno, Uncle Wally. Your house?”  Walker grinned. “Good idea.  I’ll say I just wanted to give you a break from school.  It’s a little deceptive...but I take it you want your parents to learn about you two knowing together?” 

“Uh-huh.  Cos if we told them now, they might take us away from each other.”  Isabel entered the cockpit area and nudged her brother. “Budge over.” Walker couldn’t help but grin as Wesley shifted in the seat to make room for his sister.  “So how long have you kids known you were siblings?”

“Uh....about two weeks?” 

“You’ve wasted no time getting close to each other, I see.”

“Making up for lost time, Uncle Wally.  You know, Wessy and I never had a best friend and I think it’s because we knew we were missing each other.”

“Could be, _Princesse_ , could be.”

“Uncle Wally, why do you call Issy _Princesse_?”  Walker chuckled.  “It’s what your father calls her.  It’s Princess in French.”

“Oh. Like when Mom calls me Pumpkin or Sweetheart?”

“Yep.”

“Papa hardly uses my real name.  I’ve just always been _Princesse.”_

“You were his world.”  Isabel grinned, but Wesley sighed. “I wish I knew Papa better. I can’t believe I’ve spent eight years thinking he was responsible for Dad’s death and thought Jack was my Dad.  Why would Mom do that to me?” 

Walker sighed. “I think, when we eventually tell your parents, there will be a lot of things for them to explain.”  Walker checked and saw they were nearing La Barre.  “Right. Wes, you better let me land. Your uncle doesn’t like technology, but permitted a very small landing pad.” 

Marie came to greet Isabel and Walker as they debarked the shuttle.  Wesley was inside, and ready to come out to surprise his aunt...an aunt he had no recollection of ever meeting.  

“Isabel!  You’re getting taller, my dear.” Marie embraced her niece and Isabel grinned. “Uncle Wally thinks I’ll be taller than Papa!”

“You just might. Walker, thank you for bringing Isabel to see us.  I’m afraid we were unable to attend parent’s weekend.  Jean-Luc asked us, but with the baby’s arrival so close...”

“I was glad to.  Now, we have a surprise for you, but I don’t want it to put you into early labour.”  Marie shook her head . “I’m fine.  But should we wait for Robert?  He’s just on his way over from the vines.”  Isabel could make out a shape coming towards them that vaguely resembled her father, and she ran towards him.  “Oncle Robert!” 

“Ah,  how’s our _Princesse_?”

“I’m good, Oncle Robert, but I have a surprise for you.  C’mon, it’s in he shuttle.”  Robert glanced over at his wife, who shrugged.  When they were near the shuttle, Isabel tapped on the side and Wesley walked out of the hatch.  Marie gasped and Robert’s jaw dropped.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say I was looking at Jean-Luc when he was thirteen.”  Wesley grinned.  “Really?”

“Yes, really.  Wesley,  your aunt and I have missed you so much.”  Wesley was pulled into a soggy embrace  by his aunt.  “Aunt...uhmm...Tante Marie....I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry, love. It’s just...we haven’t seen you since just after you were born.  We’ve seen the photos Walker has sent Jean-Luc, but....”

“So Jean-Luc has reconciled with Beverly finally?”

“Ah, not quite Robert.  The children have quite the story to tell you....”

###

“So you two have found each other and now you want to get your parents back together?”  Robert sat back and took a sip of wine.  Isabel was used to drinking a small glass when she was home in France, but Walker wasn’t sure how Beverly would take Wesley  being given wine, so the children were drinking juice instead. 

“Uh-huh.  Will you help us, Oncle Robert?”

“I’m not entirely sure how.”  Isabel frowned. “I was hoping you would have an idea.” 

“Wesley, does your mother know you’re here?”

“No. We, ah...haven’t told our parents yet that we know who each other is.  They don’t even know they sent us to the same school yet.”  Robert grinned.  “That has to be Isabel’s idea. She’s diabolical.”  Isabel giggled. “We decided together, Oncle Robert.” Isabel paused for a minute and scrunched up her face in thought. “Oncle Robert, can Wesley have Papa’s old room tonight?” 

“I don’t see why not.  Marie, do you have any objections?”

“None at all. It might be good for Wesley to be around some of his father’s things.  Feel free to take anything you want out of the room. I doubt Jean-Luc would notice.  Unless it’s one of his models. He has those things categorised.”

“Papa has models?”

“Oh, yes, my boy.  He used to get in trouble with our papa for wanting to build them instead of working in the vineyard.”

“Come on, Wessy, I’ll show you!”  Isabel started to get up, then stopped and looked over at her uncle. “Sorry, Oncle Robert. May we be excused?” 

“Go on with you.” 

###

When Wesley entered his father’s room, he gasped.  Lined up in precision order on the desk were three rows of model ships.  And not just any ships – they were in chronological order, starting with the NX-01 Enterprise. 

“Wow, cool!  So this was Papa’s room when he was a boy?”

“Uh-huh.  Papa keeps telling  Oncle Robert he can get rid of his stuff, but Robert always insisted he might want it someday...I  think Oncle Robert was saving it for you.”

“You’re not interested in this stuff?” Isabel shook her head.  “Nah.  I mean, the ship are cool, but it’s not my thing.” 

“Where do you sleep?”

“Oh,  I have my own room. Want to see it?”

“Sure.”  Wesley suddenly had a pang of jealousy.  Their mother didn’t have any living relatives except for her Nana on Caldos, and he has only visited once.  He supposed he had Jack’s parents, but they obviously knew Wesley wasn’t really theirs and had kept their distance.  It had just been him, his mother, and Walker’s visits.  But Isabel....Isabel had Papa’s brother and sister-in-law who she had lived with and had her own bedroom at their house _plus_  She had Walker.  Wesley followed her into her bedroom and laughed.  The room was....

“I know. It’s really frilly. But I haven’t lived here since I was seven. This used to be our Aunt Adele’s room.”

“Who’s Aunt Adele?”

“Papa and Oncle Robert’s aunt.  That’s why the room is so old fashioned.  But,”  Isabel flopped onto the bed with the lace coverlet.  “I kinda like it.” 

Wesley let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.  So, Isabel didn’t _quite_ have her own bedroom.

“Issy?  Where’s the bathroom?” 

“Oh! Let me finish showing you where everything is!”  Isabel hopped off the bed and started pointing at doors. “That’s Papa’s room now, and that one is the guest room, but usually Uncle Wally sleeps there, and that door back there is Tante Marie and Oncle Robert’s room, and this room,” Isabel pushed open the door. “It used to be Oncle Robert’s room when he was little, but I guess it’s for the baby now.”

“Issy...I _really_ need to go...” Isabel laughed. “Sorry, Wessy. I’m just really excited to show you around here.  I mean, Papa and I live in a flat in San Francisco, but I consider this place my home.”  Wesley frowned.

“I don’t...I don’t have a place I call home.”  Isabel put an arm around her brother. “Then we can make this place your home, too.”  Isabel paused outside a door. “Bathroom’s through there.  There’s another one on the other side of the hallway if this one is occupied.  I’m going to go get my bag from the shuttle. Want me to grab yours?” 

“Please.”  Wesley shut the door behind his energetic sister an sighed. _What am I doing here?  This might be my father’s home, but...do I belong here?_

###

_“Walker! Good to see you.  Why are you in the study in La Barre?”_

“I went to parent’s weekend for you and brought Isabel to visit Robert and Marie for the weekend.  Marie looks ready to pop.”  Jean-Luc chuckled.

 _“How’s my girl?”_ Walker grinned.  “Doing well.  You know, she looks more and more like Beverly every day.”

“ _I know.  She’s just as beautiful as her mother....”_ Jean-Luc got a far away look in his eyes.  “Johnny...why don’t you contact Beverly?  It’s been eight years since Jack died and I know you still love her. Plus, I know you’re desperate to see Wesley again...”  Jean-Luc smiled.  _“How is my son?”_

“He’s doing well. He’s working on some kind of special project for school with nanobot technology.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. _“Would you believe Isabel is working on a similar project?  I suppose they really are a lot alike.”_ Jean-Luc frowned.  Maybe he and Beverly had made a mistake when they decided to keep the children separated, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. 

“What are you thinking about, Johnny?”

 _“Beverly.”_ Walker grinned.  “And?”

_“And what, Walker? I think Beverly made it quite clear to me she didn’t want to be with me after Jack’s funeral.”_

“What happened?  I know you went back to her place.”  Jean-Luc nodded.

“ _I did.  She let me put Wesley to bed and read him a story and Walker, my heart broke.  So I kissed her and I told her I loved her. I spent the night and in the morning, she asked to see Isabel, so we came to the vineyard and she watched Belle sleep for an hour.  She kissed me, told me our daughter was beautiful and she loved me, and she left.”_ Walker frowned. “And nothing since?” Jean-Luc shook his head.  _“No.”_

“Maybe she was afraid.” 

_“Maybe. I just wish there was a way to see Wesley...to tell him that I do love him and care about him...”_

“Maybe there will be, Johnny. Maybe there will be.”

Walker sat back in Robert’s chair after he ended his call with Jean-Luc and shook his head.  Of all the....why would Jean-Luc have told Beverly he wanted to be with her on the night of Jack’s funeral? Even if she had wanted to get back together with him, she wouldn’t have then.  And she _had_ told him she loved him.  That was a start.  Maybe the kids _could_ get their parents back together. Walker left the study and headed to his shuttle to call Beverly. It wouldn’t do for her to recognize La Barre.

 _“Hey Wally! How was parent’s weekend? Wes alright?”_ Walker grinned.

“Yeah, he’s fine. I took him home for the weekend though to give him a break.  He’s working on a special project right now...”

 _“He told me. The nanobots?  How’s his roommate?  Bella or something?  Wesley said she had some news from home that upset her and he called me to ask how to comfort her. Does Wes have a rush on this girl?”_ Walker chuckled. “No, no crush, Bev.  I think he was just concerned.  You know he’s always been sensitive like that.”

_“Like Jean-Luc, you mean.”_

“I wasn’t going to bring him up, but yes.  Wesley looks more and more like him every day.”  Beverly grinned slightly. _“He does, doesn’t he?  I remember the old photos.”_

“Bev, why don’t you talk to him? It’s been eight years since you last spoke to him.....”

 _“I know.  I should.  And, I want to be in Isabel’s life.  But how can I, Walker?  Jean-Luc told me on the night of my husband’s funeral he still loved me.  I mean, what did he expect me to do?  Run into his arms?”_ Beverly looked uncomfortable for a minute.  “ _Alright, I did. I kissed him and we slept together, but then I realised how wrong it would have looked to Wes. I mean,  he thought Jack was his father.”_

“Don’t you think Wesley deserves to know the truth now?  He’s a teenager now...and it’s bound to come out in a few years when he applies for the Academy and he finds out his name isn’t Crusher.”

_“Uh, strictly speaking...mine isn’t either.”_

“Beverly!”

_“I...never filed official name change papers when I married Jack.  I just started going by Crusher...but my Starfleet record still says my name is Beverly Picard.  I should probably change that....”_

“Beverly, do you love Jean-Luc?”

 _“Wally, how can you even ask? Of course I do. I love Jean-Luc and Isabel.  Oh, my sweet baby girl.”_ Beverly swiped at a tear that escaped her eye.  Not a day went by when she didn’t think about her daughter and think about how much she and Wesley deserved to grow up together.

“She’s not a baby anymore, and she looks exactly like you did when I met you.” 

 _“Wally, are you telling me my thirteen year old daughter looks sixteen?”_  Walker laughed.  “Alright, maybe not exactly, but I know Jean-Luc sees you every time he looks at her.”

_“I think of him every time I look at Wes.”_

“Beverly...maybe you should talk to Jean-Luc,”  Beverly made a face. “You don’t have to get back together with him right away or even tell him you want to, but maybe you should talk.”

“ _I don’t know, Walker.  It’s been a long time....”_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time. I've altered the timeline a bit and made Beverly and Jean-Luc's age difference only 4-5 years.

Wesley heard a soft knock on his door. “Uh...Come in?”   Wesley was sitting cross-legged on the bed with his lamb in his lap.  He knew he was too old for the stuffed animal, but it brought him comfort.  Robert entered the room and surveyed his nephew.  “Wesley,  I was wondering if you’d like me to show you the vineyard?”

“Uh...I guess so.”  Robert walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. “You look troubled, Wes. Want to tell me about it?” Wesley shrugged and clutched his lamb.  Robert smiled. “I gave you that.”

“You...you did?” 

“When you and your sister were born...I wanted to....make amends with your father and I travelled off planet for the first time in my life to visit you just after you were born.  I brought stuffed lambs with me – one for each of you.  I know Isabel still has hers, but I never dreamed you had kept yours.”

“Mom told me someone special had given it to me.”

“Your mother,”  Robery smiled, “she’s special.  It’s a shame your parents couldn’t make it work, but I think there was a lot going on in their lives at the time.”

“Yeah.  Uncle Wally said your father disowned Papa?” 

“Aye.  Our father was disappointed when your father said he wanted to join Starfleet, but Jean-Luc had decided when he was eight that he would become a Captain.  Papa wasn’t pleased and I think it was only Maman – your grandmother – who kept Papa from lashing out at Jean-Luc. After Maman passed away, Papa told your father he was no longer welcome at the vineyard and wrote him out of the will and inheritance.” Wesley’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t worry, while Papa was on his deathbed, I managed to get him to put Jean-Luc back in after you and Isabel were born. I convinced Papa he needed to leave you a legacy.  One day, my boy, you and your sister and our child will own the vineyard.” 

“I...I don’t know what to say.”  Robert smiled and put an arm around the teenager. “But that’s not what has you upset.  Why don’t you tell your Oncle.  Or would you prefer Walker?”

“No.  I...Oncle Robert,  do I really belong here?”

“Of course you do. You’re a Picard. This is the Picard family home.”

“But Papa...”

“Wesley, let me tell you something about your father.  He loves you very much.  I know it might not look like it, but it broke his heart when he and Beverly split.  If he could have, he would have been in your life, but your parents are both stubborn.  Trust me, I grew up with one of them.”  Wesley grinned.

“Mom says I’m like Papa.”

“Aye, you probably are a bit.  Perhaps some of it is just ingrained in the Picard DNA.” 

“Sounds like a project for Issy.”  Robert smiled.  “Perhaps.  Now, would you like to see the vineyard?” 

“Yes, please.”

###

Isabel looked around the dinner table and placed her hands flat on the table. “Right, so...how can we get Papa and Maman back together again?”

“There’s the easy route – you and Wesley tell them you know about each other.  Then at the very least, you’ll get to spend time with your other parent.” Isabel made a face.

“We could invite your mother to La Barre while Jean-Luc is here?” 

“And then what? Lock them in a closet?”  Walker grinned at Marie.  “Alright, Walker, what’s your idea.”

“I wish I had one.  I can come up with scenarios for getting Isabel and Wesley to see their parents, but I’m not sure how we get them back together.”  Wesley wrinkled his nose.   “I dunno. I kinda like the idea of locking them in a room together.”

Isabel sighed.  “We have to come up with something.  Papa will be back soon, and I don’t know if he’ll let me stay at the Junior Academy after he’s back and I don’t want to be separated from Wessy again!” 

“You won’t, Issy. I promise.  We can always talk on subspace.  And Uncle Wally? Would you take us to see each other?”  Walker nodded. “It would depend on where the _Horratio_ is, but I think I could convince Johnny and Bev to let me have you kids for a weekend here and there.” 

Isabel sniffed and Wesley reached over and patted her back. “We’ll see each other. I promise.  Can’t get rid of me now.”  Isabel grinned. “Don’t wanna. I always knew something was missing....it was you.”

“Me too...ahh...”  Wesley coloured.  He didn’t really like talking about his feelings, but he felt the same way as Isabel.  Isabel giggled. “It’s alright.  I know boys don’t do mushy.”  She stuck out her tongue.

Walker looked over at the clock. “Right kids.  I know you think you can stay up as late as you want, but I think it’s bedtime.” 

“But....”

“No buts, Belle.  Go get your pyjamas on and go to bed.”  Isabel frowned. “Tante Marie, can I take a bath?  We don’t have one in our dorm and I miss baths.” 

“Of course you can.  You can use the big tub.”

“Can I use the jets?”

“Only for ten minutes and only if you promise not to put half a bottle of bubble bath in it!”   Isabel sheepishly grinned and Walker laughed. “Oh, I need this story.” Marie laughed and Isabel blushed. 

“When Isabel was eight, I think?”  Isabel nodded. “Jean-Luc  left her unsupervised in the  bathroom.”

“I was a big girl! I could take a bath on my own!” Marie chuckled. “The whirlpool bath was fairly new.  It had been suggested by our doctor to ease Robert’s muscles.  Of course, we only used the tiniest bit of bubbles with the jets, but since Isabel shoved Jean-Luc out of the bathroom, she dumped half a bottle of bubble bath into the tub and then turned on the jets.”  Isabel giggled. “It made a lotta bubbles.”  Walker started laughing. “Oh, _Princesse_. “

“Isabel started yelling for help and Jean-Luc ran into the bathroom, but the bubbles were all over the floor, so naturally, he slipped.”

“Ah, is this when he broke his arm? When he came back to the _Stargazer_ after shore leave, he  refused to tell any of us how he had broken his arm.” 

“Yes.  Jean-Luc had a broken arm and we still had to get a slippery Isabel out of the tub. Finally, Robert got the idea to pull the plug on the bath to drain out the water. Which was great, but it still left a heap of bubbles behind.  We were cleaning up those bubbles for days!”  Isabel blushed . “It wasn’t funny!”

Wesley laughed. “Actually, Sis, it kinda is.  I’m picturing a mountain of bubbles with you under it.” Isabel grinned. “Ok, maybe it was funny.  But I promise, Tante Marie.  This time only a capful of bubbles.” 

“I know my dear, I was only teasing.  There should be some bubble bath in the cabinet and towels are in the usual place.  Will you show Wesley where he can get a towel?”

“Sure.  Come on, Wessy.  You can use the other bathroom.”

###

There was a light tapping on Wesley’s bedroom door before the door was pushed open. “Wessy? Are you asleep?”

“No.”

“Good. Me neither.”  Isabel came into the room clutching her lamb, with a terry cloth robe over her pyjamas.  “Move over.” 

“You’re not getting in my bed!  Get in your own!”

“But I can’t sleep!”

“So, how is this my problem?”  Wesley could see Isabel grinning in the moonlight that filtered in through the window.  “Because you’re my brother.  Move over!” 

Wesley rolled his eyes. “Girls.”  But he moved over and Isabel got into bed with him. 

“Wessy?” Isabel was toying with one of the ears on her lamb. “Yeah?”

“Do you think we _really_ can get Papa and Maman back together?” 

“Yeah.  I mean, everyone says they still love each other.  And they love us, so...” 

“But if they love us and love each other, why did they break up in the first place?”  Isabel sniffed again and Wesley grumbled to himself about crying girls.  But he put his arm out and let Isabel settle against his shoulder.  “Issy, please don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry, Wessy. It’s what I do.  I can’t help it.  It’s probably the hormones. I guess I might have PMS.”

“Ok, that’s something I definitely do _not_ want to know about.  Ew. You’re not going to bleed all over my bed, are you?”  Wesley had a horrified look on his face.

“No.”

“Good.” 

“Wessy?  I love you.”

“I love you too, Issy.”  Isabel and Wesley each rolled over so their backs were facing each other and soon both fell asleep. 

###

“Sorry, kids, as much fun as this weekend has been, I have to take you back to school.” 

“That’s ok, Uncle Wally. We still have to finish our project on nanobots.” 

“Did you decide what to do?”  Isabel nodded. “Uh-uh.  Actually, Maman gave Wesley the idea.  She pointed out that we use tricorders for medicine and engineering and other things, so why couldn’t the nanobots be used for both too?”

“Good idea.” 

Wesley was not as willing to return to school as Isabel.  “I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”  Marie smiled and patted Wesley’s shoulder. “You can come whenever you want, Wesley.  You’ll always have a bedroom here. Maybe we might even convince your Oncle to redecorate it for you.”

“No. I like Papa’s models.” 

“Suit yourself, but at least let me order you some new bedding for next time.” Wesley smiled.  “Ok.  Thanks, Tante Marie.”  Marie drew the boy in for a hug and kissed the top of his head.  “Remember, Wesley, Oncle Robert and I love you very much. Next time you come, you’ll get to meet your new cousin.”

“I’ve never had cousins before .  Or an aunt and uncle other than Uncle Wally.  But then...I also didn’t know I had a sister.”  Wesley frowned. “It’s a lot to take in, I know.  Call us if you need us, alright?”  Wesley nodded and boarded the shuttle.  Isabel was in the co-pilot’s seat and she moved over so Wesley could sit with her. 

“Wessy, wanna pilot it back?”

“Nah, it’s your turn.”

“Ok.”

When they got back, Isabel saw she had missed a call from their father and she played his message for Wesley and Walker to see. 

 _“Princesse, you must still be in La Barre with Walker.  I wanted to let you know that my mission has finally ended and I should be home soon.  I miss you and I can’t wait to see you.  I love you.”_   Isabel frowned. “ I want Papa back, but what if he takes me away from school and Wessy?”

“I’m sure we can convince your father to let you finish up the year at least.”

“Please Uncle Wally?  Help convince Papa to leave me here. Besides, our project won’t be finished!”

“I’ll talk to him _Princesse._ ”

“Thanks, Uncle Wally.  Uncle Wally, do you have to leave?”

“Not yet. Why don’t you show me your lab?  I’d like to meet your Mister Eggio.” 

“Ok, but remember – he doesn’t know we’re related.”  Walker thought for a minute. “Well, we’ll just tell him it’s a coincidence then that you’re the children of old friends of mine.”

Walker was impressed with the lab set up.  “Wow, this looks nicer than the labs on the _Horatio._ ”  Isabel giggled. “Really?” 

“Yeah, really.  I’m sure we don’t have half this equipment.”  Wesley beamed.  “Uncle Wally, want to see the nanobots?”

“I thought you can’t see them?” 

“Well, not with the naked eye, but we use these special glasses when we work with them.”  Wesley passed a pair of strange looking goggles to Walker and he put them on. “WOAH. This is freaky.”  Wesley laughed. “You’ll get used to them in a minute.  Now, I’m going to put some of the nanobots on this broken data chip and you watch them.”

Walker watched in fascination as these tiny grains of rice flowed over the data chip and repaired it, covering the large crack.  Wesley took the chip and inserted it into a PADD and passed it to Walker . “See? The chip works now.”

“Wow, this is amazing. And you can use it for medical purposes too?”  Isabel nodded.

“Uh-huh.  But the problem we’re having is getting organic material to test it on...we’ve replicated generic lumps and it seems to work, but I think Starfleet Medical will have to run experiments on our findings to make sure it really works on humans.”

“And this is different from current nanobot technology?”

“Yeah. Currently, they aren’t really used to create the repair. Someone programs and controls them.  But our project has them going in and finding the broken part themselves.”

“Autonomous nanobots?” Walker raised his eyebrows at the teenagers.

“Kinda.  I mean, a lab still has to create and program them initially.  They just don’t need programmed when you use them to repair.”

“You guys, this is brilliant!  So tell me, what’s it called?” 

“Uhh...they don’t have a name, they’re nanobots.”  Walker shook his head at the teenagers.

“Every good invention and discovery gets named after its creators.  So the Crusher-Picard nanobots or something like that.” 

“No, Crusher isn’t my name, is it?”  Walker frowned. “Well, not legally, but it’s the name you go by. I’m sorry, I assumed...”

“Picard.  My name is Wesley Robert Picard. I’m going to ask Mom about my name when I see her next.” Walker patted Wesley’s shoulder. “Your father will be proud of you.”  Wesley grinned. “So...the Picard Nanobot?” 

“Yeah. What do you think, Issy?”

“Sure. But we’re just kids, will it even matter? Won’t Starfleet just say it’s theirs?”  Walker rested a hand on a shoulder of each teenager. “You don’t work for Starfleet and whilst you have used a Starfleet Junior Academy lab, the work is all owned by you.  Don’t worry. We’ll make sure credit stays in the family.”

“Thanks, Uncle Wally.”

 

###

Captain Jean-Luc Picard strode purposefully through Starfleet Command.  His mission had finally ended, and all he really wanted was to go home, brew a proper cup of tea, sleep in his own bed, and see his daughter.  Unfortunately, he first had to sit through hours of debriefing.  He was finally moving towards the exit when he bumped into someone wearing a blue uniform with long red hair. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry...Commander,”  Jean-Luc looked up at the woman’s face. “Beverly?” 

“Hello, Jean-Luc.  I wasn’t expecting to run into you here. I thought you were away on a mission?”   Jean-Luc waved the pad in his hand. “Just finished being debriefed . I was on my way home finally....I take it congratulations are in order?”  Beverly nodded. “Just passed my Commander exam.” 

“And Wesley? Is he here?”

“No, he has school.  Some kind of special project with nanobots.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Isabel is working on something similar.”

“Is she here?”

“No, I haven’t picked her up yet.  Would you...that is...I understand if you’re busy or need to get back, but would you like to join me for dinner?”    Beverly softly smiled. “I’d like that. Can I go change first?”

“Of course.  Are you staying in temporary housing?”  Beverly nodded.  “tenth floor.” 

“I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Ok.”  Jean-Luc leaned over and pressed a kiss against Beverly’s cheek. “See you then.”  Beverly watched his retreating back.  _Should I have accepted his invitation? It’s not like we’re going on a date...we’re just two old friends...who used to be married...and who have children together...going out for a meal, right?_

Jean-Luc nervously pressed the buzzer outside Beverly’s quarters.  He ran his hand over his smooth head and gave a brief tug on his shirt before Beverly opened the door.  Beverly was wearing a simple grey dress that hugged her figure. “You look lovely.” Beverly blushed. “You’re not too bad yourself.”  Jean-Luc grinned and held out his arm. “Shall we?”

Jean-Luc and Beverly were ushered to an intimate table in a corner of the restaurant lit by soft candlelight.  Jean-Luc perused the wine menu and at Beverly’s nod, picked a red wine made by friends of his family.  He held up his glass to Beverly. “A toast.  To...our children.”

“Our children.”  They clinked glasses and Beverly took a sip before placing her glass down. Her hand shook slightly and Jean-Luc pretended not to notice. 

Over the course of dinner, they tried to keep the topic light, though they did both speak about the children and carefully avoided talking about their relationship.  A band struck up in the corner and Jean-Luc stood and extended his hand to Beverly. “Would you like to dance?”  She nodded and she was soon in his arms. 

Jean-Luc’s arms around her felt right and she rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in the scent of his aftershave.  She wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but she had always enjoyed the smell.  Jean-Luc dropped a kiss on top of her head before resting his head on hers.  The smell of Beverly’s hair was intoxicating mixed with the scent of her perfume.  Jean-Luc paused briefly.  Did he know what he was doing? 

Beverly reached up and caressed his cheek. “Jean-Luc? Is something wrong?”

“Beverly...I...”  Beverly smiled and lightly pecked his lips. “I’m glad you ran into me.”  Jean-Luc tightened his arms around her and returned the kiss.  He kissed her slowly and gently.  When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers. “Me too.”

Jean-Luc walked Beverly back to her quarters and they paused at the door. “Would you...would you like to come in?  Have a nightcap?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No.  Not really.  But...”

“Yes, I will come in.” 

Jean-Luc woke with a curtain of red hair across his mouth and a pain in his neck.  The night before, they had drank more wine, then switched to tea as they sometimes talked, sometimes kissed, and sometimes just sat in silence.  Beverly had yawned and Jean-Luc extended his arm to her and she kicked off her shoes and snuggled against him.  Jean-Luc had managed to lay them down on the small settee and he had watched her sleep for a while before he, too, drifted off.   

Beverly stirred, and Jean-Luc kissed her forehead. “Good morning.” 

“Morning?”

“Well, not really. It’s still dark out and we fell asleep.”  Beverly snuggled back against him. “Oh.  You know, you’re still pretty comfortable.”

“Uhm...thanks?”

“But, we should probably take this to a bed.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “A bed? Beverly, are you asking me to...”

“No?  Yes? Maybe?  Jean-Luc...”  Beverly sat up.  “I _do_ love you.  You have to know that.”

“I love you too, Beverly.  I don’t think I ever have stopped. “ 

“I don’t know if I’m ready to sleep with you or if we even should.  I mean, what about the children?”  Jean-Luc traced a line down Beverly’s jaw.  “Isabel asks about her mother all the time.”  Beverly frowned. “Wesley thinks Jack was his father. I...I know we’ll have to tell him before he goes to the Academy since he’ll have to register as Picard, but...”

“You don’t know how to tell him.”

“Exactly.  But for now...will you come to bed with me and just sleep?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  Beverly stood and made her way to the bedroom. “Just give me a minute to change.” 

“Ok.” 

When Beverly opened the door a minute later, she was clad in a long nightgown.  He smiled and entered her bedroom and took off his shirt and trousers before getting into the bed.  Beverly rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.  “Sleep well, my love.”


	5. Chapter 5

Jean-Luc woke up to warm lips on his and a soft hand slipping into the waistband of his boxers.  He moaned and kissed back, sliding his hands along the silk nightgown and shoving it up over her body.  When he reached her chin, she broke off the kiss and he slipped the nightgown off over her head.  “Beverly,” he moaned out as she shoved his boxers down his hips and he kicked his legs free. She rocked her hips against him and moaned and he rolled them over.  “Jean-Luc,” Beverly whimpered.  Jean-Luc lowered himself and paused. He looked down at her and she looked deliciously wanton.  He swallowed hard and tried not to let the regret show in his voice. “Beverly?” 

“Jean-Luc?  I...”  Jean-Luc rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms.  He kissed her forehead.  “I know, my love.  I know.”

“I’m sorry.  I don’t know what came over me....you were sleeping and you looked so...and I wanted...”

“Shhh,” Jean-Luc kissed her again.  “It’s alright.  I just don’t want us to regret this.”  Beverly threaded her fingers through his and rested her head on his chest. “Thank you for stopping us.”

“I have to admit, it was hard...”

“Hmm. Still is,” she quipped and Jean-Luc reached behind for a pillow and hit her with it. “Cheeky.”

Beverly laughed. “I missed this. I missed us.”  Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head. “I missed us too.  Every day for the past thirteen years.  Beverly...”

“Jean-Luc, I’m here for another week.  Can we....spend some time together?  As much as I want to see Isabel and tell her who I am...do you have to pick her up right away?”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “No, I don’t have to.  I was thinking I might let her finish out the semester at least.  It would be hard pulling her from school in the middle of the semester.” 

“So, can we?”  Jean-Luc dropped another kiss on her head. “We can.  I was going to use my leave with Isabel in La Barre, but I think this is important... _we’re_ important.  I think before the children get involved we need to figure everything out.” 

“Yes. Maybe we should start by putting some clothing back on. “ Jean-Luc chuckled. “Well, I do enjoy the feel of your naked body against mine....but I think that’s wise.  I’ll go replicate some pyjamas for myself.  Be right back.”  Jean-Luc passed Beverly her nightgown and slipped out of the bed.  Beverly wolf-whistled at the sight of his naked rear, and he wiggled his bottom at her on his way to the replicator. 

###

Isabel thumped a PADD on the table. “Please, Wessy?”

“No.”

“But...you said Maman acts...”

“She does. I don’t.  The answer is still no!” 

“Pleeeaaaassseee?”  Isabel turned on the puppy dog eyes at her brother.  Wesley sighed. “Ugh. Fine. I’ll sign up. Now can I get back to what I was working on?” 

“Sure! I’ll go put us on the list for the play!” 

“Don’t forget to use Crusher for me,” Wesley frowned. “I really want to use Picard, but I have to talk to Mom first.” 

“Hey, what if we get Maman and Papa to come to the play?”  Wesley paled. “No, I don’t think we’re ready for that, do you?” 

“Hmm. Maybe not.  I guess we don’t invite either of them.”  Isabel frowned.  “Maybe Uncle Wally can come.” 

Rehearsals cut into their time to try to plan to get their parents together, but Wesley was surprised to find he actually enjoyed acting.  Beverly couldn’t believe it when he told her.

“Yeah, Mom, it’s actually really cool. I like it a lot!”

“ _Pleased to hear it. Maybe you’ll be in one of my productions on the base when the year is up.”_ Wesley groaned. “Not you too.”

_“What?”_

“My roommate.  We haven’t performed this play and she wants me to sign up for the next! It’s driving me mad!” Beverly chuckled. “ _Sounds like you secretly enjoy it.”_

“Yeah, I kinda do.” Wesley grinned.  “ _Wesley...be careful.”_

“Ugh, Mom. I told you, I don’t like her like that!” 

_“I’m just saying....”_

“I know. Hey mom, can I ask you a question about Dad?”

_“About Jack, sure. I can try to answer it.”_

“No. I meant my real dad.”  Beverly went pale.  “ _Wha...what do you mean, Wes?”_

“Mom.  I know Jack wasn’t my real dad.  You married him when I was two.  I want to know who my real father is and why isn’t he in my life?”  Beverly panicked.  What had Wesley found out? Had Walker told him anything? Had Jean-Luc?  No, that’s silly. Jean-Luc  didn’t know Wes was at the Junior Academy and Walker would never betray them.  “ _Uhm....well...look, this is something we should sit down and discuss face to face.  I’ll take some leave and come see you. Maybe I can come see your play!”_

“No, Mom. Really. That’s ok. It can wait until the break.  I...ah...don’t want you to see the play. It will make me nervous...”

_“Alright sweetheart.  I’ll see you on the 22nd?  You’re alright to make your way back to the base on your own?”_

“Yeah, Mom.  Uncle Wally said he’d bring the _Horatio_.  I get to be on a real ship and not just a shuttle!”

 _“Well, don’t get_ too _used to it.  I’m probably in line for the CMO position here.”_

“Wow, that’s great Mom!  But don’t you miss travelling the stars?” 

 _“I do, but...we don’t always get to have what we want. Sometimes we have to have what is best for us or what makes the most sense.”_  Beverly tried to convince herself of this every day. She and Jean-Luc had spent a wonderful week together. They went on several dates and even though they ended most nights sleeping in the same bed, they hadn’t slept together.  They both had decided not to until they knew what they were doing, but it was obvious they both wanted to renew their relationship.  They still hadn’t told their children, and that was going to be a big step before they considered their living situation.  Jean-Luc had offered to transfer his base of operation to Starbase 32, but then that opened the whole “do they share quarters” or not thing, and uprooting Isabel.  Beverly then thought she might ask for a posting at Starfleet Medical instead, but Jean-Luc told her not to put her career on hold for him or the children.  She returned to Starbase 32 two days ago, but hadn’t yet heard from Jean-Luc.  She supposed she could be the one to call _him,_ but she knew he would be picking up Isabel from La Barre, or at least, she assumed Isabel had been in La Barre while Jean-Luc was away. 

“Mom?”

_“Sorry, Wes. Must have zoned out.”_

“Maybe you should get some sleep.”  Beverly grinned. _“Which one of us is the parent? But you’re right. I love you, Wes.”_

“Love you too, Mom.”

Over in Isabel’s room, she was arguing with her father over subspace.

“Papa, please let me stay and finish out the year, not just the semester. I’m making really good progress with my nanobots project and I don’t want to abandon my partner.”  Jean-Luc eyed his daughter through the screen. _“You mean, the boy you’re working with?”_

“Uhm...yeah, my lab partner is a boy.  So?”

_“So are you sure you only want to stay to finish your project?”_

“Papa!  I told you, I’m not interested in him like that.”

 _“Fine. If you say so.  Isabel,_ Princesse _, I really would like for you to be home with me.  I’ve missed you these past three months.”_

“I’ve missed you too, Papa, but don’t you think attending the Junior Academy is an amazing opportunity to get me ready for the real academy in a few years?”  Jean-Luc sighed.  _“I can see I’m not going to win here. Or if I do insist on you coming home, you’ll be miserable.  Fine. You can stay next semester -  but I expect you home at Christmas. We’re going to be spending it in La Barre.  You’ll get to meet your new cousin.  Tante Marie had a boy, they’ve called him Rene.”_

Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Another  boy?!”

“ _What do you mean, ‘another boy’?”_

“Err...nothing, Papa. I just meant that....well, there are a lot of boys in the world and the girls are outnumbered in this family!”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “ _Well, maybe their next baby will be a girl.  Or maybe Uncle Walker will settle down someday.”_

“Or maybe you could introduce me to my maman.”

“Isabel Yvette! _I told you, it’s just not possible right now. Maybe in a few years..”_

“No. I want to know who my mother is _now!_ ”

“ _Belle_ , _I’m sorry,_ Princesse _, but that’s not entirely up to me.  Your mother would have to agree...”_

“So ask her.  Invite her to Christmas.”

 _“Ah, I can’t do that_ Princesse. _But I’ll talk to her, alright?”_ Isabel tearfully nodded. Now that she knew who her mother was, all she wanted was to meet her and talk to her...and she was hoping she could see Wesley over the Christmas holiday. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.

_“So I’ll pick you up on the 21 st?”_

“Ok, Papa. I’ll be packed.”

 _“Goodnight,_ Princesse.”  Isabel hung up with a sigh. How were they going to get their parents back together if they couldn’t even get them to be in the same place?

###

Jean-Luc straightened his uniform as he walked into Admiral Quinn’s office. “You wanted to see me, Admiral?”

“Yes, Captain Picard, I did,”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his old friend. “Please, have a seat.  Tea?”    Jean-Luc nodded and accepted the offered cup. 

“What is this about?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the new Galaxy-class ships.  Specifically, the new _Enterprise_ and who should captain such an auspicious ship.  It’s going to be our flagship.  It’s primary use will be for exploration,” Jean-Luc grinned, “and diplomacy.”  Jean-Luc’s grin faded slightly.  While he was an accomplished diplomat, it still was not his favourite thing.  Jean-Luc thought for a minute.

“Well...there’s Ed Jellico.”  Quinn frowned. “You would suggest Ed?  Really, Jean-Luc?”

“I’m sure he deserves it.”  Quinn shook his head. “Ed’s getting the _Cairo_.  Can’t you think of anyone else...say, an experienced Captain who doesn’t currently have a ship?”  

“I’m sorry, Admiral, I’m drawing a blank. Perhaps you could let me do some research and I can bring you my suggestions in a few days?”  Quinn banged his hand on his desk. “ _You_ , Jean-Luc.  I’m offering the _Enterprise_  to you!”

“Me?”

“Do you see any other Starfleet Captain’s named Jean-Luc in the room?  Look, Jean-Luc, I know after you lost the _Stargazer_ we told you it would be a while before you were handed a ship again, and you voluntarily took a position here as my chief negotiator, but it’s time you were back in the stars permanently.  The new Galaxy class ships are designed for family, so you don’t need to leave anyone behind.”

“Well, Sir, I would have to talk it over with a few people before I accept anything...” Wheels in Jean-Luc’s head began to turn. He would need to tell Beverly as well and if Isabel didn’t want to move, perhaps she could stay at her school or live in La Barre again. 

“I understand, Jean-Luc.  You may have the weekend to think about it, but I need to know first thing Monday morning.  The ship will be ready in less than a year.” 

“Of course, Sir. I will report back to you on Monday.”

Jean-Luc left the admiral’s office with a spring in his step, not sure if he should call his ex-wife or his daughter first. He settled on calling Walker instead once he was back in his office.

“Walker, I have some incredible news, but I need to bounce it off someone first.”

_“Shoot, Johnny. What’s on your mind?”_

“Quinn wants to give me the _Enterprise._ ”  Walker’s face registered a mix of both shock, surprise, and a little jealousy. “ _Congratulations, Johnny! That’s fantastic!”_

“Is it?  Do you think Isabel would enjoy life on a starship?”

_“Jean-Luc, Isabel wants to become a doctor on a ship when she’s older, I’m sure she would love life on a starship. Tell me what the real issue is.”_

“Beverly,” it came out so soft, Walker had to strain his ears to hear.”

 _“I’m sorry, Johnny, did you say ‘Beverly’?”_ Jean-Luc sighed. “I did.  Walker...I don’t know how to tell you this, but I ran into Beverly a few weeks ago after I returned and she was here taking her Commander exam and we...”

_“Johnny, don’t tell me you slept with her?”_

“No, but we came close.  We went out every night while she was here and we shared a bed every night – but we didn’t have sex.  We just held each other and after the first night, pyjamas remained on.” 

 _“Do I want to know what happened the first night?”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his old friend. “Probably not. But Walker, what do I do?  I told Bev I would consider switching to Starbase 32 so we could be together and tell the children everything, but.....the _Enterprise_?  It’s my childhood dream come true.  I don’t know if I can walk away from this for the sake of my relationship and I think that’s what caused all our problems in the first place.”

_“What do you mean?”_

“When Bev and I were dating and I was just a junior officer, it was fine.  But then everything happened so suddenly – she got pregnant, we got married, the _Stargazer_ saw combat and I was promoted....and then I spent so much time trying to be a good Captain I forgot how to be a good husband and I lost....I lost Beverly and Wesley.”  Jean-Luc’s voice caught and Walker could see the anguish in his eyes.  “ _Talk to Beverly.  Better, go see her.”_

“I can’t, I have to let Quinn know by Monday.  It takes 36 hours to get to Starbase 32.”

 _“Not at high warp.  Look, if you can get to the_ Horatio _, I think we can get you there. We’re just outside the quadrant.  In fact, I’ll order my ship to McKinley.  How soon can you get there?”_

“Just need to pack a few things and board a shuttle.”

_“Great, I’ll see you there.”_

“Wait, what about Wesley?”  Walker faltered.  He didn’t want to tell Jean-Luc Wesley was attending the same school as Isabel, although he was sure that might come out eventually.  He chose his words carefully. _“He’s attending a special workshop off-base.  You won’t see him yet. I’ll see you in a few hour. Keel out!”_

Walker ended the call and grinned. So, Jean-Luc and Beverly were trying to renew their relationship without their children locking them in a closet.  He thought about telling the twins, but changed his mind.  Better for it to surprise them.

###

Wesley stuck his head out of the door to the boy’s dressing room. “Issy! Belle! Isabel!”  he hissed as loudly as he could backstage.  Isabel looked over from where she was touching up her make-up. “What?”

“Come here. I need your help.”  Isabel rolled her eyes, but came over to him. “What’s wrong?”

“No. Uh...come in.” 

“Wessy, I can’t.  It’s the boy’s changing room.”

“Yeah, but you’re my sister.”

“ _Nobody_ knows that!” Wesley huffed. “But I need help and you’re the only one I trust!”  Isabel looked from side to side and when she saw no one was watching, she entered the boy’s changing room and shut the door behind her. “Ok. I’m here. What do you need.”

“My zipper’s stuck.”

“What?”

“I think my shirt tail is caught in it...it won’t go up or down and I have to get back on stage.  Help!”  Isabel dropped to her knees in front of her brother and examined his zipper. “Yep.  It’s stuck alright. Ok, either you tug on the shirt while I yank the zip or you yank the zip while I tug.”  Wesley blushed. “Uhh....you tug.” 

“Ok, on the count of three.  One, two, three....” Isabel yanked up on the shirt as Wesley pulled his zipper down.  Isabel went tumbling backwards and Wesley’s trousers fell to his ankles just as the door was opened.

“What is the meaning of this!?”  The drama teacher was a formidable woman you didn’t want to cross.  “It’s...ah...not what it looks like...Madame?” 

“It had better not be.  Explain.”

“Wessy...I mean, Wesley’s zip was stuck and he asked me to help.”  Madame Pompau looked down her nose at the children. “And I am expected to believe this?”

“Y—yes?”  Madame Pompau shook her head.  “I’m going to have to notify your parents!”

“No! Wait! Madame.....”  Isabel exchanged a glance with Wesley, who nodded. “Madame...Wesley and I are siblings.  Our parents divorced when we were babies and separated us and they don’t know we’re at the same school. _Please_ don’t tell them.”

“Fine.  For now. But if anything _else_ happens I will.  What if another student had seen you? Are you planning on telling the whole school you are related?”

“Er..no. Not yet. We still have to tell our parents we know...”

“I see.  Well, your trousers are fixed now, Mister Crusher,”  she didn’t see Wesley wince at the name, “and you are expected on stage.  Come along, Miss Picard....” Isabel grinned at Wesley as she followed the teacher out of the room.  That was close.

###

Jean-Luc stood nervously outside Beverly’s quarters once more.  Only this time, they were on a spinning space station and _he_ was the guest with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder.  He pressed the chime and waited for Beverly to answer it.  She was still in her duty uniform, same as him, but somehow she looked delicious in hers.  “Jean-Luc! This is a surprise!”  Beverly flung her arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss, which he returned tenderly.  “Come in! Come in!” 

“Beverly,”  Jean-Luc smiled.  It was good to see her, even if had only been a few weeks.  “I needed to talk to you, and Walker suggested I come visit.  I can only stay until tomorrow though. I have to....well, I’ll tell you about it.  Over dinner?” 

Beverly nodded. “Do you mind if we eat here?  I don’t think I’m up to sharing you tonight. I know what would happen if we went to the promenade.  Everyone would want to stop and speak with Captain Jean-Luc Picard. “  Jean-Luc grinned. “Dinner here is fine. I can go find some quarters, change, and be back shortly.”

“Nonsense. You’ll stay here. Bedroom’s back there. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thanks,” he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Mind if I shower?  My day was a bit rushed....”

“Help yourself.” 

Jean-Luc had been in the shower for a few minutes when he felt a hand reach in and pinch his bottom.  He chuckled and turned around. “It’s not a free show, you know.” 

“Hmm?” Beverly was standing outside the shower stall, fully clothed and grinning like the cat that caught the canary. “Nope. You’re going to have to pay for that.” 

“You’re naked. I’m not.  Seems I’m the winner here.”  Jean-Luc grinned back and reached out for Beverly and pulled her into the shower with him.  He kissed her and she laughed. “Jean-Luc, I’m still in my uniform!”  Jean-Luc slowly pulled down the zip and tugged her uniform free of her arms.  “Well then, take it off....” 

Beverly chuckled and kissed him back.  “ _Jean-Luc_ , we said we wouldn’t sleep together until we were sure what he wanted.”  Jean-Luc kissed her shoulder as he reached behind to tug open her bra. He kissed across her chest and looked into her eyes. “Oh, Beverly. I know what I want.”

“What’s that?”

“You.”  He peeled away the rest of her wet uniform and tossed it in a corner of the bathroom.  His fingers slipped inside her knickers and he raised his eyebrows at her.  She nodded and her hands joined his and she helped him push down her knickers.  Beverly kissed him hungrily.  “Jean-Luc?”

“Yes, my love?”

“Wouldn’t you rather our first time together in eight years to be in a bed and not pressed up against the wall of the shower? Not that I’m not _enjoying_ this...”  Jean-Luc grinned and reached behind her to turn off the water. He kissed her nose. “An excellent idea.”  He hoisted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom amidst giggles. “Put me down, Jean-Luc! I can walk, you know!”  Jean-Luc threw her at the bed and joined her.  He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “All silliness aside.  Beverly...I want to make love to you.  I don’t want to wait until we talk to the children, I don’t want to wait while we work out the logistics of restarting our relationship...I just want you.” 

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I want you, too. Please make love to me.” 

Beverly and Jean-Luc were in her bed together, with her head resting on his chest. She threaded her fingers through his and smiled. “So why are you here? I assume it’s nothing to do with Isabel and she’s alright?”  Jean-Luc chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Belle is fine.  Asking me about her mother though.  She really wants to meet you. I gather at thirteen she....well, speaking with my sister-in-law only helps her so much.  I think she probably needs her mother.” Beverly smiled. “I’d like that.” 

“I actually came to talk to you about my next assignment.” 

“Oh?  So you didn’t just come here to seduce me?”  He grinned. “No, that was just a bonus. It was Walker’s idea.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Me coming here, not the sex...”  Beverly laughed. “Is he here?”

“Who?”

“Walker.”

“The _Horatio_ dropped me off. I travel back on it tomorrow. He’ll be around her somewhere.” 

“Good. I haven’t seen him in a few months. Wes has, but I haven’t. But anyway,” She sat up and turned to look at him. “Tell me about your new assignment.” 

Jean-Luc sat up next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Admiral Quinn wants to give me the _Enterprise_.”  Beverly gasped.  “Jean-Luc! That’s wonderful! It’s been your dream to Captain the Enterprise since you were small.  Of course, I don’t think you’ll have Spock as your first officer.” 

Jean-Luc chuckled. “I forgot all about that.  What do you think?”

“I think you should take it. It’s what you’ve been working towards your whole life.”

Jean-Luc squeezed her fingers. “But what about us?  And the children?  Once we tell them who we are and who they are...would it be fair to separate them again? To separate us?”  Beverly let out a deep sigh.  “Jean-Luc, no matter what happens....we’ll always have an _us_.  Our children will always be our children.  If it means we ferry back and forth between a starbase and a ship to see each other...so be it.”  Jean-Luc frowned . “I don’t like this....”

“I’m not a fan of it either, but one of the reasons we failed the first time around was because we didn’t acknowledge each other’s dreams....you know that’s the truth.  I used to get so angry at you when you had your captain’s duties to perform that kept you away from the base and the children...and I promise this time not to ask you to choose between your ship or your family.”

“Beverly, I choose you.  No matter what. I choose you.  I was a fool thirteen years ago.  I promise not to be one again.  I love you.”  Beverly leaned over and kissed him.  “I love you too.  Now, when do you have to leave?”

“Tomorrow,”  Jean-Luc frowned. “I told Admiral Quinn I would let him know on Monday.” 

“Do you have to tell him in person?  Call him now.  Tell him you’ll take it.  Then, stay a little longer with me.” 

“What about Isabel? I haven’t asked her yet how she feels....though I suppose if she doesn’t want to live on the _Enterprise_  she can stay where she is.”

“Right. It’s settled.  Put your uniform back on and call Quinn.  Then, take it off again....because I think we have some celebrating to do...” 

Quinn was ecstatic and pressed a few keys on his keyboard. “Done!  Jean-Luc, my  boy. Congratulations.”  Jean-Luc heard the faint ding of a notification for Beverly at the same time he saw a note flash up that he had a new assignment. “I just made it official.  When you get back from visiting your wife, we’ll sit down and discuss the rest of your crew.”

“My....yes, of course, Admiral. Piacard out.”   Jean-Luc chuckled as he closed the connection.  He called back to the bedroom. “Beverly, it’s done. I’m the new Captain of the _Enterprise_. But you wouldn’t believe what Qunn just said to me...”

“...he called me your wife?  Because ,uh, I just got reassigned due to ‘your husband’s new assignment’ by Quinn.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Oh?  I thought you don’t use Picard anymore?”

“I don’t except on official paperwork... I never changed my name to Crusher with Starfleet, and of course, Wesley is still legally Picard. I guess I’m still listed as your spouse, too. I mean, did you ever tell Admiral Quinn we got divorced?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  He hadn’t told anyone about their divorce because he had been so ashamed of their failed marriage. 

“So, where have they assigned you?  I’m sorry. I know how badly you wanted to become Chief Medical Officer.”

“Uhm.  Well, say hello to _your_ new Chief Medical Officer...”


	6. Chapter 6

The launch of the D kept being pushed back.  The original date of October turned into December, then March, until finally, it was set for August nearly a full year after its original scheduled launch.  Jean-Luc had been busy making arrangements and interviewing staff, so he had allowed Isabel to remain at Starfleet Junior Academy. Likewise, Beverly had allowed Wesley to remain while she finalised their move  -  first back to Earth, and then onto the _Enterprise._   Jean-Luc and Beverly still hadn’t told the children who they were or that they were back together and had decided to wait and see what happened once they were all on the ship together.   Jean-Luc had also helped Beverly with her name issue, and while she was still Beverly Picard legally,  the _Enterprise_ crew would know her as Crusher.  The adults also still didn’t know the children were attending the same school and in fact, still suitemates. 

The twins were turning fifteen in July. They were sad they wouldn’t be spending their birthday together, but knew they would see each other in August at the launch.  They had decided to pretend to meet for the first time for their parent’s sakes, and then see what happens.  It was the last day of school and Isabel was shoving all her belongings into her trunk. 

“Wessy, I have too much stuff! How did I get so much stuff in two years and do you think Papa will let me have it all on the _Enterprise?_ How big do you think my room will be?”

“Uh..not big. I mean, it’s a big ship, but there are 1400 people on it. Papa probably has the largest quarters as the Captain, though.”  Isabel frowned. “I hope it doesn’t take too long for us to get Maman and Papa together.  I want us all living together!” 

“Me too, Issy, me too.  Hey, can I hang onto that book you lent me last week?  I haven’t finished it yet.  I promise I’ll bring it on board with me.”

“Yeah, sure.  Come here and sit on my trunk. I can’t get it closed.”

“Will you be able to lift it?”

“Dunno. I was kinda hoping my brother would help?”  She batted her eyes at Wesley “Ugh. Fine. I’ll carry it to the transporter room for you.” 

“Thanks, Wessy!”  Wesley walked away and grumbled about girls always getting their way and Isabel only giggled. 

###

Beverly had been assigned temporary quarters at Command for her and Wesley, but she had been spending all her time at Jean-Luc’s flat. He was leaving to join Isabel in La Barre for two weeks and Wesley would be returning from school so she would need to actually live in her assigned quarters.  She and Jean-Luc hadn’t yet figured out how long they would give it before they told the children they were together and already related, but she hoped it was before she unpacked everything in her quarters.

She glanced around Jean-Luc’s flat to make sure she had packed all her belongings and sighed as Jean-Luc walked up behind her and kissed her neck.  “It’ll be fine, love.  Just a few weeks apart, and then we’ll be on the _Enterprise_ and we’ll find time to be together, alright?”

“And we’ll tell the children?”   Jean-Luc nodded. “Absolutely.  We’ll all have dinner together and we’ll tell them the truth.  Or maybe we should tell them alone first?  What do you think?”  Beverly scrunched up her face.

“Well...Wesley keeps asking me who his real father is. He knows somehow that Jack wasn’t.  What if we told them separately that their other parent would be serving on the _Enterprise_ sort of to prepare them for it?”  Jean-Luc smiled. “That should work. My transporter slot isn’t for another few hours.  Do you want to...?”

“Oh god, Yes.”

###

“Children are not permitted on the bridge!”  Jean-Luc snapped as the turbolift doors opened and he saw a child out of the corner of his eye.  A voice spoke.  “He’s not on the bridge, he’s in the turbolift. Honestly, Jean-Luc.”  Will Riker raised his eyebrows at Deanna Troi. Who would dare to call their captain by his first name? 

“Ah, Beverly.  This must be Wesley.  I....well, you’re here now. Would you like to take a look around?”  Wesley took in the Captain’s warm smile and the crinkles in the corners of his eyes. He had seen photographs and recordings of messages he had sent Isabel, but this was the first time he was standing face to face with his father.  He swallowed hard and looked back at his mother. “Mom, can I?”

“You heard the Captain.  Commander Crusher, reporting for duty, Sir.” 

“Welcome aboard, Doctor.  We’ll be holding an informal meet and greet in the observation lounge for the senior staff at 1400, then a larger reception for the crew and their families this evening at 1800.  Could I see you in my Ready Room?”  Beverly glanced over at Wesley, who was soaking in everything he was looking at.  Jean-Luc grinned.  “Number One, keep an eye on Mister....Crusher here for a few minutes while I speak with the Doctor?”

“Of course, Sir.”

The door to the ready room slid shut and Jean-Luc’s lips were on Beverly’s.  “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, but should we be kissing in your ready room?  Anyone could walk in on us....like our son...”

“Computer: Seal door.”  There was a gentle hiss. “Now, where were we?”

“Mm, we probably have about ten minutes before Wesley overstays his welcome.”  She kissed him again and he tangled his fingers in her hair. “You cut it.” 

“Do you like it?”

“I love it,”  he deeply kissed her and pulled her over to the small couch and he was soon sitting with her straddling his lap.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

 _“Captain Picard?”_ Beverly jumped up when she heard the intercom.  “Yes, Number One?” 

 _“Wesley was wondering if he could see your ready room...that is, if you’re done having your meeting with the Doctor?”_ Beverly began smoothing down her hair and she reached over to wipe a smudge of lipstick off Jean-Luc’s mouth.  “Yes, yes.  Of course. Send him in.”  He sighed, and pecked Beverly’s lips one more time. “Computer: Unseal door!” 

The door slid open to reveal Wesley.  “Well, come on in, Mister Crusher, and have a look around if you’d like.”

“Wesley, Sir. I prefer to be called Wesley.”  Jean-Luc nodded, recalling the conversation Beverly had told him she had with the teenager.  Wesley wanted to know his father’s last name so he could use it as he felt Crusher didn’t belong to him.  Jean-Luc’s heart swelled at the prospect of eventually calling him Wesley Picard, but for now, he had to try to pretend like his heart wasn’t in his throat when he looked at the boy. 

“Yes, of course, Wesley.”  The door slid open again to reveal a teenage girl with red curls followed by Commander Riker. “I’m sorry, Sir. She just barged onto the bridge and said she needed to see her father.  I can have Worf escort her to her parents...”

“That won’t be necessary, Number One.  Meet my daughter, Isabel.  Belle, meet Commander Riker, Doctor Crusher, and her son Wesley.”

“Hi!”  Isabel grinned at Wesley and held out her hand to him. “Uh....hi.” 

“Now, _Princesse_ , I know I told you children were not permitted on the bridge.” 

“Uh.... _he’s_  here.” 

“He escorted his mother and I made an exception to let him look around.  You did get to see the bridge before everyone else.”  Isabel frowned. “That’s not fair.  I want to see it in action too.” 

Jean-Luc sighed. “Fine. You may look around.  But what did you need me for?” 

“Oh.  It can wait until later. Come on, Wesley, want to hang out?”  Wesley looked over at his mother who nodded her approval. “Sure.”

“Let’s go to the holodeck! Mister Data told me it can make real water!”  Isabel grabbed Wesley’s hand and dragged him off the bridge.  Will watched, his eyes dancing with merriment. “Has anyone ever told you, Sir, that Beverly’s son quite resembles you?”

“Ah...well....you see...”

“Jack and Jean-Luc...I mean, the Captain, resembled each other a bit.  As far as I know, Jack and Jean-Luc aren’t related.”

“No, he was just my best friend for years.”  Will smiled.  “And I suppose Isabel’s red hair....?”

“A family trait.  My mother had red hair, and believe it or not, my hair was an auburn colour.”  Beverly snorted.  “Something you’d like to add, Beverly?”

“No...no not at all..” Jean-Luc ran his palm over his bald pate.  “Alright, I get your point, Doctor. Now, don’t we have work to do?”

Will grinned. “Of course, Sir. I’ll let you continue your meeting with Doctor Crusher.”  Will eyed the doctor up and down and grinned before leaving the Ready Room.  Beverly laughed. “’I had auburn hair’. Oh, Jean-Luc. You did not. Your hair was the same colour as Wesley’s.”

“Well...it’s sort of reddish....maybe in the right lighting.”

“Uh, no. But nice try.”  Beverly planted a kiss on his lips. “Now,  I had better get to my sickbay and start going over things. See you at 1400?”

“I’ll be there.”  He opened the door and escorted Beverly to the turbolift. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet to discuss the medical needs of the crew. I see no reason to take time away from today’s session of getting to know each other.  Shall we say, 1600 tomorrow?”  Beverly nodded. “That should be plenty of time for me to see who needs to still have a physical,” Jean-Luc made a face and Beverly laughed, “and who needs ongoing care. And Captain, you _will_ be showing up for your physical if I have to come to your quarters and do it there! Do I make myself clear?” 

“Absolutely.  We’ll make the appointment after our meeting tomorrow.”  Beverly smirked. “See you later.  Commander Riker, I look forward to getting to know you better,”  she winked and got into the turbolift. “Sickbay.”  The doors slid shut and Will turned to his Captain. “I take it you and the doctor...”

“We have known each other for many, many years, Number One. I suppose I might be a bit lenient  when it comes to her.” 

“I see.”

“You have the bridge. Please send in Commander Masters when he gets here.”

“Of course, Sir.”

###

Isabel tugged Wesley through the corridors. “Slow down, Issy! This place is a maze! Do you know where we’re going?”

“Holodeck 4J!  It’s down the corridor from our quarters. Come _on_!”  Wesley shook his head and followed his sister. “You have to meet Mister Data. He’s an android and really cool.” 

“Wicked.” 

The holodeck doors slid open to reveal a wooded area, complete with the sound of birds swooping overhead and a stream gurgling. “This is all holographic?”

“Sort of.  Mister Data was explaining it all to me, but I think you’d find it more interesting.  It uses replicator technology too so that we can touch things instead of passing through it...but we can’t take anything out of the holodeck.”

“So if you’re wet, when you leave you’ll be dry?” Isabel scrunched up her face. “I dunno. That’s a good question. We’ll have to ask Mister Data!”  Isabel dragged Wesley through the woods until she found a tall man with pale yellow skin and gold eyes talking to a man wearing a visor across his eyes.  “Mister Data, this is Wesley...he’s Doctor Crusher’s son.” 

“Hello, Wesley.  I am Lieutenant Data.  This is Lieutenant La Forge.” 

“What’s across your eyes?”  Geordi chuckled at the teenage girl. “It’s my VISOR.  I was born blind and it enables me to see.”

“Cool! Why didn’t you ever get ocular implants?  They seem to be getting better and better and they now even can look like human eyes.” 

“Are you training to be a doctor?”  Isabel blushed. “Not yet.  But I want to!” 

“I suppose I’ve become so used to my VISOR and the advantages it gives me over having eyes.  Did you know your father gave me this job because I impressed him over seeing something he couldn’t?”  Isabel’s eyes went wide. “No, I didn’t. What did you do?”

“I was taking him on a tour via shuttle of the _Enterprise_ and I noticed an area of the hull that was thinner than the section next to it.  I pointed it out and Captain Picard asked me if I could fix it. I had it fixed by the morning and he offered me a position on the ship.”

“Wow, cool!”  Isabel daintily walked across a log positioned over the small stream.  Wesley had a bit more trouble keeping his balance, but he managed to get to the other side without falling in.  Geordi and Data followed behind carefully.

Data was glancing between the two teenagers. “Has anyone ever told you you both bear a striking resemblance to the other’s primary parent?”  Both teenagers blushed.  “For example, you, Wesley, have the same slope to your nose that Captain Picard does, and a similar jaw line.  Isabel, your hair is an exact colour match to the Doctor, and you have the same number of freckles on your face that she does.”

“You counted my mother’s freckles?”  Wesley stared at Data.  “Not deliberately.  It is part of what I observe when I am meeting someone for the first time.  For example, you just furrowed your brow the exact way I have seen Captain Picard do when he was frustrated. This is most curious.  Are you related to the Captain?”

“Uhhh...” 

“Mister Data, Mister La Forge-“

“You can call me Geordi.”

“Thanks.  Mister Data, Mister Geordi,” Geordi smiled at Isabel, “What we’re going to tell you is a secret for now. Can we trust you?”

“Absolutely,” responded Geordi nodding his head.

“As long as it does not affect the running of the ship or cause harm to anyone, I will keep your confidence.”

“Ok.” Isabel looked at Wesley and he nodded for her to continue. “Wesley is my brother.  Our parents are Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher.”  Shock registered on Geordi’s face, while Data merely nodded. “Yes, I was fairly certain you were related.” 

“The doc and the Captain have kids together?” 

“Our parents split when we were babies and each raised one of us....they don’t know we know we’re related.” 

“Perhaps you should tell them you know?”

“Yeah, but Mister Data, it’s more fun this way!” Isabel grinned at her new android friend.

“Fun?”

“Yeah, you know....Wessy and I can pretend we don’t know what’s going on and maybe we can get our parents back together.”  Isabel started to lead the group over a second log. There seemed to be an endless supply of logs crisscrossing the stream. 

“I see.”  It was at that moment, that Wesley lost his balance on the second log and fell into the stream. “WESSY!”  Isabel shrieked.  She jumped off the log into the water and tried to grab her brother before he got pulled under by the water’s current. 

“The safeties are on.  He won’t drown.”  Data glanced over at Geordi. “That might be correct, Geordi, but should we not try to rescue them?”  Geordi nodded and Data leaned over and pulled up a sputtering teenager in each arm. 

“Wow, Mister Data, you’re pretty strong!”  He deposited them both on the shore and they lay on the grass to catch their breath.  Isabel started giggling, Wesley caught on, and even Geordi began to chuckle lightly.  “I do not understand. What is funny?”

“Nothing, Mister Data....It’s just a way of releasing nervous energy.” 

“I see. Why were you nervous?  Geordi told you the safeties were on and Wesley would not drown.”

“Yeah, I know, but....Mister Geordi, help?”

“Data, people...humans...still feel scared even when they know it’s not actually scary.  It’s just...part of being human.”

“So, Isabel was afraid for Wesley, even though she knew he would be safe?”

“Yes.”

“Curious. I seem to have much to learn about being human.” 

“Help us get our parents back together, and we’ll teach you about being human.”  Data pondered the offer and finally nodded at the teenagers.  “That would be satisfactory.  Now, you must excuse us. Geordi and I have a meeting in nine point six minutes.”

Wesley laughed. “Nine point six?”

“Now eight point four.”

Geordi grinned at the teenagers. “Can you kids manage on your own?”

“I want to explore more of the ship. What do you say, Wessy?”

“Uh, sure Issy.”

The four new found friends left the turbolift and ran straight into Jean-Luc. “Isabel! Wesley! What is the meaning of this?”

“Sorry, Papa...we fell in the stream.”

“More accurately, Wesley fell in and Isabel jumped in after him to rescue him.”  Jean-Luc waved his hand at Data. “Yes, thank you Data,”  Jean-Luc turned to the children.  “I suppose we can’t punish you for an accident, but you both should return to your quarters and dry off before you do anything else.  Don’t forget we have the meet and greet this evening. I expect you to be dressed nicely, _Princesse._ ”

“Yes, Papa.  Papa, can I show Wesley our quarters?” 

“I think Wesley needs to get changed into some dry clothing first, but he may meet you there when he is changed.”

“Thanks, Papa! Wess...ley, where are your quarters?”  Isabel had to catch herself and not use her nickname for Wesley, since they only were to have met a few hours ago.  “Uh...Deck 8.”

“Ours too.  Come on!”  Jean-Luc could only grin at their retreating backs. Perhaps if the children became friends, telling them they were related would be easier.

###

“ _Isabel Yvette Picard!_ What is all over your face?!”

“Make-up?”

“No.  Return to our quarters at once and wash it off!”  Isabel’s eyes filled with tears. “But...Papa...”

“Don’t ‘but Papa’ me.  Go.  I expect you back as soon as you wash that mess of your face.”  Isabel sniffed.  Deanna looked on and walked over to where the Captain was reprimanding his daughter. “Sir, I don’t mind taking Isabel back. I can show her how to apply lighter make-up?” 

“That won’t be necessary, Deanna,”  Beverly piped up from next to Jean-Luc. “ I forgot one of my earrings and have to go back to my quarters for it. Isabel, would you walk back with me?”  Isabel smiled through her tears and looked over at her father.  She saw a look pass between her parents before her father nodded. “Go with Doctor Crusher.  Perhaps Counsellor Troi can teach you how to use make-up another day.” 

Jean-Luc watched with his heart in his throat as the love of his life walked away with a guiding hand on their daughter’s back.  He wanted nothing more than to tell Isabel right there that she was walking with her mother, but he respected Beverly’s wishes to gradually ease into telling the children.  Deanna followed Jean-Luc’s eyes. “You know, Captain, if I didn’t know any better, it looks like a mother and daughter walking together.”

“Yes, quite.”

Out in the hallway, Isabel turned to Beverly. “You didn’t really forget your earring, did you?”

Beverly shook her head. “Wesley said you were clever....No, I didn’t. I just thought you wouln’t appreciate Deanna’s...abilities.  If you want to talk, you can talk to me and I won’t be able to tell you you’re not telling me everything or telling me the truth.”  Isabel grinned at her mother.  She _really_ wanted to tell her that she knew who she was, but she and Wesley had decided to wait.  “Thanks.  I like Counsellor Troi, but she keeps trying to get me to talk about stuff I don’t want to.”

“Well, she’s not used to being around teenagers. I know you  have your secrets.  But let’s take you to my quarters and we’ll get rid of some of that make-up.”

“Papa still treats me like a little kid.”  Beverly grinned and smoothed down the girl’ hair. “That’s because to him, you will always be his sweet baby.”  Beverly turned her head away so Isabel couldn’t see the tears gathering in her eyes. “Tell you what.  I think your papa objected to the colour and amount.  We’ll get rid of this and go through  my make-up and see if we can find something that would match your skin better.  Where did you get this?”

“Marissa.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows.  Marissa was one of the other teenagers on board.  “Marissa is the one with the dark hair, right?”  Isabel nodded. “Her skin tone is what we refer to as ‘olive’-“

“Like the garnish?  But it’s not green....” Beverly chuckled. “I know. I think it’s because olives are grown in Earth’s Mediterranean, so people from that area are said to have olive skin.”

“Oh.  So is my skin wine since I’m French and we grow wine?”  Beverly laughed.  “Not quite, but I like how your mind works.  You and I both have ‘fair’ skin. “

“Why is it called fair?” Beverly shrugged. “Centuries ago, light skin was something that was considered ‘favourable’ and more beautiful than other skin tones.”

“Oh.  But I think blue people are pretty.”  Beverly grinned. “Yes, but this was many centuries before man even knew there was life on other planets.” 

“Oh, it’s like in Snow White!  ‘Who is the fairest of them all?’....they meant pretty, didn’t they?” Beverly nodded. “I thought they meant fair like Snow White played nicely.”  Beverly chuckled.  “You’ve got a good head on those shoulders, kid.” 

Beverly entered the code for her quarters and sat Isabel down at her vanity.  Isabel took in everything she was looking at with wide eyes.  Beverly reached for a stack of thin pads and a bottle of liquid. “Let’s clean this off your face.” 

Beverly gently swiped the pad over Isabel’s cheeks and told her to close her eyes so she could remove the make-up from her eyes.  Beverly’s hands felt soft and gentle on her face and Isabel grinned. Isabel opened her eyes and caught the tender look Beverly had been giving her.  “Ok.  Open the drawer on the side there.”  The drawer was filled with make-up from all over the quadrant.  “Wow, do you wear all of this?”  Beverly laughed.

 “Not all at once.  Now, let’s find you a nice, light pink for your cheeks,” Beverly rifled through the containers until she came to a pale shimmery powder.  “Let’s try this.  Now, the trick is to sweep it across your cheekbones.”  Beverly demonstrated by hovering the brush over her own cheeks.  “Try it. Gently sweep the brush over the blush first. You don’t want too much....”  Isabel copied the directions Beverly gave her and soon had a pale shimmer on her cheeks. 

“Would you like me to put some eye shadow on?” 

“Do you think Papa will be mad?”  Beverly shook her head. “Not if it’s done right.  Perhaps bright purple wasn’t a good idea.” Beverly rifled through her drawer again. “Ah, here we are.  It’s just a smidge darker than your skin, so it will look natural.  Close your eyes.”  Isabel closed her eyes and Beverly just wanted to swoop in and cuddle the girl, but instead she expertly applied the shadow to her daughter’s lids all the while revelling in the chance to be with her daughter.  Beverly picked up an eyeliner.  “Keep them closed. I’m going to use a little eyeliner. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to do all this later.”  Isabel smiled.  She was thoroughly enjoying her time spent with her mother, even if Beverly didn’t know she knew. 

“Now just a little pale lip gloss, and you’re good to go.”  Beverly passed Isabel a tube of shimmering lip gloss. 

“M....Mrs Crusher,” Beverly laughed. “Sweetheart, I haven’t been Mrs Crusher in a long time.”  Isabel chastised herself for almost calling her Maman.  She settled on Doctor. “Doctor, can you help me with my hair?”  Beverly grinned.  “Of course I can. What would you like?”

“Can I have a twist like you?” 

“I think we can do that.”  Beverly picked up her hair brush and started brushing Isabel’s hair.  She ducked her head so Isabel wouldn’t see again the tears that formed in her eyes.  She should have been in Isabel’s life when she was younger.  Beverly expertly twisted the teenager’s red tresses into an identical twist and added a few hair pins to keep it in place.  “There.”  She moved her face next to Isabel’s.  It wouldn’t take much for someone to figure out they were related.  Beverly pressed a light kiss to Isabel’s cheek. “Now then, are you ready to return to the reception?” Isabel nodded.  She didn’t want the moment to end, but she was afraid she would call the woman her mother and ruin her and Wesley’s plans. 

“Th....thank you.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.  You just come to me and I’ll help you with anything your father can’t.”  _There.  I’ve offered to be a mother figure to her without admitting I am her mother...but oh, this is hard.  I just want to give her a cuddle and tell her I love her._

Jean-Luc’s back was to the door when they re-entered the lounge.  Beverly tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. His smile turned into a full grin when he saw Isabel with Beverly.  Isabel really looked like a younger version of Beverly.  They really needed to tell the children soon.  He leaned down and kissed Isabel’s cheek. “You look lovely, _Princesse._ ”  Isabel blushed.  Jean-Luc then kissed Beverly’s cheek too. “Thank you for helping her.”  Beverly reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.  “The other teenagers are over there if you want to join them, _Princesse._ ”

“Ok Papa.  Thanks again, Doctor!”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at her retreating back. “Doctor?”

“Well, it’s not like I was about to tell her to call me Mom.”

“Maman.”

“What?”

“She refers to you as Maman when she asks about you.” Beverly softly smiled. “Let’s tell them soon? I don’t want to wait any longer.” 

“Soon, my love.  And will we be telling them about us?” 

“Be hard not to.  I might go back to using Picard.”  Jean-Luc’s arms encircled her waist and he swayed her to the music. “I think I’d like that.” 

“Me too.” 

Will Riker eyed the couple from where he was dancing with Deanna. “The Captain and the Doctor sure look cosy.”  Deanna rolled her eyes and smacked Will on the arm. “They’ve probably known each other for years.  Beverly’s husband used to serve under the Captain.”

“Sure, that’s all that’s between them. “

“ _William T Riker_! It’s not like you to participate in gossip.”  Will could only grin and dipped Deanna.  “Want to see if they’ll trade partners?”

Several hours into the reception and Jean-Luc was ready to call it a night, but he felt that as the ship’s captain, he needed to stay until the end.  He was sitting at a small table with Beverly, Will, Deanna, and Tasha Yar, his head of security.  Isabel and Wesley rushed over to the table. 

“Papa!”

“Mom!”  The parents shared an eyeroll.  “Marissa and some of the other kids are going camping tonight on the holodeck. Can I go, Papa?”

“Can I, Mom?” 

“Will there be adult supervision?”

“Mister Data said he was interested in ‘teenage rituals’ whatever that means.”  Jean-Luc groaned.  “Anyone else?”

Will stood up. “I’ll go along.  Tasha, Deanna?  Are you interested in joining us?”  Deanna wrinkled her nose. “No thank you, Will.” 

“Sure, I’m game.  The girls will need someone to supervise them.”  Jean-Luc grinned. With Tasha around, nothing would happen. He nodded at Isabel. “Yes, _Princesse._ You may go.”

Isabel leaned down and kissed her father’s cheek. “Thanks, Papa! I’m going to go back to our quarters and change out of my dress.  We’re meeting at the holodeck in an hour.”  She raced away and Jean-Luc turned to Tasha. “Thank you, Lieutenant.  I feel much safer letting Isabel stay on the holodeck all night with a mixed group if you are there.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her for you, Sir.”

“So Mom, can I go?”  Beverly nodded. “But don’t stay up too late!”

“Thanks, Mom”

“Number One, are you sure you want to spend a night with a bunch of teenagers?” 

“Someone has to keep them in line.”

“Yes, well...good luck.” Will grinned at his captain.  He would use the evening with the teens to pump them for information about their parents. 

“Well, I don’t know about any of you, but I think I’m about ready to retire.  Our first staff briefing will be at 0800.”  Jean-Luc rose from his seat as he finished his drink. 

“Yes, I’m a bit tired myself.”  Beverly stood up next to Jean-Luc. 

“Can I escort you back to your quarters, Doctor?”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Will smirked at their retreating backs and watched as the Captain placed a gentle hand on the small of Beverly’s back. “Tell me there’s nothing going on between them, Deanna!” 

Deanna laughed and Tasha looked at her puzzled. “What have I missed?”

“Oh, Will thinks the Captain and Doctor Crusher are involved.”

“You mean, they’re not?” 

“Not you too!”  Tasha shrugged. “I thought it was fairly obvious.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Jean-Luc and Beverly were sharing breakfast – fortunately in their uniforms – when Wesley breezed into the quarters he shared with his mother. 

“Hi Mom....Uh..Good Morning, Captain?”

“Good morning, Wes.  Your mother invited me for coffee this morning before our meeting, but I had better get going. I’m sure Isabel is waiting to tell me all about your camping trip last night.” Wesley grinned. “It was awesome!” 

“Before you leave, Jean-Luc, can you give this to Isabel?” Beverly held out a small make-up bag.  “What is it?”

“It’s the make-up she used of mine last night.  I thought she might like to have it.” 

“Isn’t she...young?”

“Jean-Luc, they’re fifteen.  Our children are teenagers.  Better for Isabel to wear make-up we approve of than the garish colours Marissa lent her.”  Wesley looked between his parents and wondered if they even realised what they were saying.  ‘our children’ and ‘we approve’ sure sounded like they were acknowledging him and his sister as their children.  Jean-Luc only grinned at Beverly. “You’re right.  Isabel is a teenager, I suppose I’m lucky this is the first time this has come up.  I suppose boys are going to start to look at her...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect her.”  Jean-Luc smiled at his son.  “Thank you, Wes.  Now, If you’ll both excuse me...Beverly, I’ll see you at the briefing.”

“Mom, you didn’t tell me you and the Captain were friends.”  Beverly twisted a piece of hair around her finger in the exact way he had seen Isabel when she was thinking of something to say. “You could say that the Captain and I are old friends....close friends....now, tell me about camping last night.”

“It was lots of fun.  Commander Riker and Lieutenant Yar had the tents set up so we were on opposite sides of the big campfire from each other – boys and girls, I mean.  I wanted to share a tent with Isssy-“  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Not like _that_ , Mom. Jeez.  I wanted to share a tent with her because she was nervous about camping, but Lieutenant Yar wouldn’t let me and said Isabel could share a tent with her.” 

“That was kind of her.” 

“Yeah.  So I had to share with Tomas instead.  He’s alright.  But I think he likes Isabel.  He kept asking me if we were dating.” 

“But you’re _not_ , right?”  Beverly eyed her son over the rim of her coffee cup.  She really hoped they wouldn’t have to deal with the children wanting to date and then finding out they were siblings.

“Nooo....Ew Mom, I told you.  She’s like a relative to me.  A _close_ relative.” 

“I...ah...well, good.  I think you and Isabel both could use a best friend.”

###

“Papa, where were you?”

“Sorry, _Princesse_ , I was having breakfast with Doctor Crusher.”  Isabel raised her eyebrows at her father. “Oh?  You know, I really like the doctor.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Good. I do too. Oh, she askedme to give you something.”  Jean-Luc held out the make-up bag and Isabel looked inside before grinning from ear to ear.  “It’s the make-up she showed me how to use last night!”

Jean-Luc nodded. “Yes...she thought since the colours looked...well, I don’t understand it, but at any rate, Beverly thought you would like to have it.”

“And you’ll let me wear this?” 

“Within reason, _Princesse._ ”  Isabel hugged her father tightly. “Thank you, Papa!” Isabel clutched the make-up bag to her chest tightly and retreated into her bedroom with it.  Jean-Luc shook his head and called after her. “I have to get to my meeting, and you have an aptitude test to take today.  Don’t forget!”

“I won’t, Papa! Have a good day!” 

###

A hand reached out and pulled Isabel into an empty lab.  “Issy!”

“Wessy!  Where have you been?”  Wesley frowned. “Taking tests. Ugh.  You?” 

“Same.”

“Well, I have something to tell you....Mom and Papa were having breakfast together this morning.”

“I know. Papa told me.”  Wesley frowned again. “Oh.  But  I bet he didn’t tell you what they talked about!”

“No...he just gave me the make-up bag from Maman.”  Isabel smiled.  Her first present from her mother. Even if she used up the make-up, she would treasure the little purple bag always. 

“They talked about _us_.  And used words like ‘our chilren’ and ‘we’.”  Isabel’s eyes went wide.  “Do you think they’ll tell us who they are finally?”

“I don’t know, Issy, but I think we’re getting close. And I think they might be dating....Papa sure looked like he wanted to kiss Mom when he left!”  Isabel clapped her hands. “Oh, this is wonderful, Wessy!  We just have to speed things up!” 

“Ok, but how?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Uncle Wally’s idea of locking them in a room isn’t a bad idea after all!”

###

“Ah, Wesley, Walker tells me he has been teaching you how to pilot a shuttle?”

“Y-yes, sir.”  Jean-Luc softly smiled at the boy.  “I was wondering if you would take me out?  My skills are a bit rusty...it’s just a short trip to Starbase twelve and back. Shouldn’t take us long.  I just have to speak with the admiral there.  You could bring your schoolwork along or come have a look around the base while I’m at my meeting.” 

“Oh, yes sir!”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Great.  Please see Lieutenant Worf for a communication badge and meet me in Shuttle bay two in twenty minutes.” 

“Uh, can I go tell Mom first?”  Jean-Luc smiled. “Be quick.  I’ll give you an extra ten minutes.” 

Wesley ran into Sickbay and into his mother’s office without knocking. “Wesley!”

“Sorry, Mom, but I have something to tell you!  Pa....the Captain asked me to pilot his shuttle to Starbase twelve!  You don’t mind, right?”  Beverly grinned. “Of course not. Put those skills Walker has been teaching you to good use.” 

“Thanks, Mom!  Gotta go, we leave in twenty minutes and I need to ask Mister Worf for a comm badge!”  Beverly chuckled. “Go! You don’t want to be late for your first assignment!”

Wesley ran into Isabel in the corridor. “Issy!  I get to go out with Papa!”

“What?”

“Papa asked me to pilot his shuttle today to Starbase Twelve!”  Isabel grinned at her brother. “Cool!” 

“I just hope I don’t make a mistake....”  Isabel patted his arm. “You won’t. Besides, it’s Papa.  He’ll just gently tell you how to fix it.” Wesley grinned.  “He was lying when he said he was out of practice, wasn’t he?”

“Duh.  He’s the _Captain_.  He probably just wants to spend some time with you.  I’m going to go see if Maman will let me observe in Sickbay while you’re away.”

“Issy...would you be mad at me if I told Papa I knew he was my papa?”  Isabel frowned. “No...but I thought we were going to tell them together?”  Wesley smiled at his sister. “You’re right. I’d rather we tell Mom and Papa at the same time that we know. I just have to make sure I don’t accidentally call him Papa.”

“Well, at least P could be for Picard?”  Wesley grinned.  “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back!”

“You better!  Meet me for dinner?” 

“Sure. Pizza?”  Isabel grinned at her brother. “Yep.” 

“I still gotta go see Mister Worf. See you later, Issy!” Wesley went flying down the corridor and Isabel laughed.  She wasn’t sure if he was more excited to pilot the shuttle, or to spend time with their father.  She rounded the corner into Sickbay and headed towards her mother’s door and knocked. 

“Come in.  Oh, hello, Isabel. What brings you here? Are you feeling alright?”  Isabel smiled.  “I’m fine.  But...um...I was wondering.....since Wessy...I mean, Wesley gets to go out with Papa today if I could maybe...shadow you?” 

Beverly looked up and grinned. “Bored without Wesley?” 

“Something like that.  But I want to be a doctor on a ship when I grow up and I thought....”

“The perfect way to find out if you really want to do it is to try to get some experience?”  Isabel nodded.  “Well, I can’t let you perform any exams on my patients, but I could ask them if you can observe what I do, and maybe you can help if we have any children in today?”  Isabel nodded vigorously.  “Please?”

“Absolutely.  You can leave your schoolbag in here. I daresay, Wesley leaves his in here often enough.” 

“Can I wear a lab coat?” 

“I’m sure we can find you one.”  Isabel opened her bag. “Actually, I have one.  I found it in Papa’s attic. Well, it’s Oncle Robert and Tante Marie’s house, but it’s where Papa grew up. Oncle Robert said he didn’t know who it belonged to but told me I could have it.”  Isabel pulled out a blue lab coat nearly identical to the one Beverly always wore, just older and embroidered with the old Starfleet Medical Academy logo.  Beverly let out a small gasp at seeing one of her old lab coats. She must have left it in La Barre once and Jean-Luc packed it away. She wondered what _else_ Jean-Luc had packed into storage. 

“Well, put it on, let’s see.”  Isabel donned the coat.  Nurse Ogawa happened to be passing by the office and stuck her head in. “Wow.  You have a mini-me!  I never noticed how much Captain Picard’s daughter resembled you...”

“Yes, thank you Alyssa.  Isabel is going to be helping us out today. She wants to become a doctor and thought observing sickbay would be a good idea today.” 

“Well, she’s in for a treat then.  Ensign Barclay is here....”

“Again?”  Beverly sighed. “Well, Isabel, time for you to meet our resident hypochondriac.” 

###

 _“Bridge to_ Galileo _, you are clear to exit the shuttle bay.”_

“Acknowledged.”  Jean-Luc watched as Wesley carefully guided the shuttlecraft out of the bay and into open space.  Wesley made a few adjustments, then turned to Jean-Luc. “Am I doing alright?”

“Splendid, Wesley.  In fact, I’d say you’re doing better than I did on my first piloting trip.”

“I am?”  Wesley looked at Jean-Luc with wide eyes.  “Indeed.  Why don’t you set the autonav and come to the back with me.  We’ll have some coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.” 

“Really?”  Wesley made a few adjustments before pressing the button to activate autonav.  He wouln’t be needed until they were closer to the starbase, or if there was a problem.  Wesley stood and followed his father into the back where they were some comfortable chairs, a small table, and a replicator.  “Coffee, Wes?”

“Yes, please. With milk and sugar.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Bet your mother hates that.  She always used to complain when I put milk in mine...but I can’t bear it black.  I’ll drink my tea black, but not my coffee.”  Wesley grinned.  “So, you’ve known my mom for a long time?”

“Wesley, I’ve known your mother since she was a cadet.” Wesley hoped his father would continue, and tell him that he was his father, but he didn’t.  Jean-Luc took a sip of his coffee and instead said, “I was a fourth-year cadet when my friends decided we would go to elite flying school.  I suspect Corey wanted to go, and Marta had a crush on Corey, and well, I had a crush on Marta, so it was all a bit complicated.  I didn’t know Walker yet.  Shame, really.  But anyway. We went to this flight school and it was horrible. Ran by Captain Kirk.”

“ _The_ Captain Kirk?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “Sadly, no.  It was his nephew or something like that.  Hated being asked about Jim Kirk.”

“So, what happened?”

“Ah, we were allowed to go out on our own.  No instructor. In these old rickety shuttles that we had to spend about six hours repairing every day before we could even take them out.  And...I crashed.”

“You...crashed?” Wesley’s eyes went wide.  His father...had crashed a shuttle on his first time piloting alone?  “Yep. Onto the moon below the school.” 

“Were you alright?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “I was fine.  Shuttle wasn’t.  Took hours to be rescued and then Captain Kirk insisted that we tow my broken shuttle back to the base and I had to repair it on my own.  My friends weren’t allowed to help. It took three days to repair the shuttle. By that point, my friends were performing stunts and tricks with their shuttles and I was forced to re-learn the basics of piloting.” 

“Wow.”

“But I didn’t let it stop me.  I wish I could say I learned from my mistake and I stopped being cocky, but well...that didn’t happen until a few months later.” 

“What happened?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Ah, my boy, that’s a story for another time.  Now, tell me about your studies.  Have you decided what you want to focus on?”

“Not yet. I was thinking Engineering, but then I also really want to be Bridge crew.” 

“Ah, well, you know, we _do_ need people with engineering skills on the Bridge.  It’s not all straight command. In fact, I don’t know many who went straight into command out of the Academy.”

“What did you start in, Sir?”

“I was in Astrophysics at first, but then I was sent to another ship and became a flight controller. And from there, I worked my way up from relief, to duty flight controller, to Captain.” 

Wesley grinned. “The youngest Captain in Starfleet history.” 

“Hmm. So far.  But it wasn’t my original goal to become the youngest.  It just...happened.”  Wesley leaned forward in his chair. “Will you tell me the story?” 

“Hmm. How about on the way back? I suspect we should be nearing the base now.  If you need any help docking, let me know, but I think you’ll be fine.” 

“Thanks, Sir.”

###

“Hello, Reg. What is it today?” Reginald Barclay glanced behind Beverly and saw Isabel. “Wh...wh who’s that?”

“Reg, say hi to Isabel Picard.  She’s shadowing me today.”

“Pi...Picard?  Like the Ca...Captain?”  Beverly nodded.  “Isabel is the Captain’s daughter.”

“Sh...she looks like you.” 

“Well, thank you, Reg, I’ll take that as a compliment.  Now, what do you think you have today?”

“I...I think I ha..have Melohistalymphoneurositosis.” Beverly nodded sagely. “I see. Now, tell me Reg, are you female?”

“N-No.  I’m male.” 

“Uh-huh.  And are you Muyuprian?”  Isabel covered her mouth to hide her giggle.  “N-No.  I’m hu...human.”  Beverly grinned. “Then you can’t possibly have Melohistalymphoneurositosis.”

“I can’t?”  Beverly shook her head. “Nope.”

“Oh.”

“You may leave now.”  Reg stared at Isabel. “Sh....she’s not going to t..tell  Captain Pi...Picard, is she?”

“No, of course not. She’ll be bound to the same doctor-patient confidentiality I am.”

“Ok. Th...thank you.”

Beverly walked away from Reg and back towards her office, with Isabel trailing behind. “I need a cup of coffee after dealing with him.  Want one?”  Isabel nodded.  “Milk? Sugar?”

“Black.”

“Ah, a girl after my own heart. Tell me, does your father still insist on having his with milk and sugar?”  Isabel laughed. “Uh-huh.  He told me it was gross black.”  Beverly grinned. “He never changes.” 

Isabel took the offered cup and sat down in front of Beverly’s desk. “You and Papa...you’ve known him a long time?”  Beverly sipped her coffee. “I’ve known Jean-Luc Picard since I was a cadet....before you were born.”  Isabel crossed her fingers in her lap and hoped her mother would mention being her mother, but she didn’t.

“What made you go into medicine?” 

“My Nana.  Well, sort of.  I don’t know if Wesley told you, but I was raised by my grandmother.  My parents were scientists and they died when there was an explosion in their lab on Luna.  I was four.  I moved to Arvada Three to live with my grandmother-“

“I’ve read about Arvada Three in my history books!  Was...Felisa Howard your grandmother?” 

“She was.”

“Wow.” 

“So when we moved to Caldos, Nana became the village healer, and I used to assist her.  So I decided to go into medicine.  How about you? Why are you interested in medicine?”

“Papa’s heart.”

“Oh?”

“When I was little and I found out he had an artificial heart I was scared...because what if it failed?”

“Oh sweetheart, it won’t.  It will probably actually help your father live longer than average.”

“I know, but...what if it doesn’t? So...I want to be a doctor so I can make Papa a better heart.   Like what I was trying to do with the nanobots at school.”  Beverly smiled at the girl.  “Tell me about your project? I know you and Wesley are working on it together now.”

“Well, I was trying to see if nanobots could be programmed before they were inserted and used to fix problems automatically without needing to program them for every little thing.  And instead of them creating the repair, they would _be_ the repair. Does that make sense?”  Beverly nodded. “That’s really clever. Does it work?”

“Wesley got them to work on data chips, but since I don’t have anything live to try it on, I don’t know.  I guess I have to wait until I’m at Starfleet Medical to try it or turn it over to them.”  Beverly shook her head. “Not necessarily.  After all, this is a ship of exploration, and as long as you had a qualified scientist approving your work who could get you some synthesized organic material, you could perform your experiment here.”

“Really?”

“Sure.  And I know who could supervise you.”

“Who?”

“Me.”  Isabel’s eyes went wide.  “Really? You would do that for me?”  Beverly slowly nodded and reached over her desk to give Isabel’s hand a squeeze. “My dear Isabel, I would do _anything_ for you.”

###

Wesley shoved another slice of pizza in his mouth and Isabel made a face.  “It was so cool hanging out with Papa today. Did you have a good time with Mom?”  Isabel picked off the pieces of pepperoni off her slice and took a bite before answering. “Yeah. I really can’t wait until we’re all together again. Maman offered to oversee my nanobot project so I can experiment on synthetic organic material.”

“Oh wow, cool. Papa said he would talk to Commander Riker about getting me time on the bridge to observe.”

“That’ll be exciting for you.” 

“Don’t you want to be bridge crew?” Isabel chewed thoughtfully on her pizza before answering. “Nah, I think I just want to be a doctor.  I mean, I know Maman passed her bridge exams, but it sounds  like a lot of work for something that rarely would happen.”

“Mom plans on sitting nightshift occasionally.”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “No thank you. I mean, maybe.  I don’t know. But it sounds like you’ll love it.  Maybe Papa will let you sit at one of the consoles.”

“That would be cool. Hey, want to go skiing on the holodeck after dinner?  Marissa and Tomas are going...” 

“Wessy, do you have a crush on Marissa?”  Wesley blushed. “No.”

“You do.”

“Alright, I do.  She’s nice...right?”  Isabel shrugged. “I guess so. We’ve only known her a week though.” 

“I think Tomas has a crush on you.”

“He does not.”

“He does.  He asked me if _we_ were dating.”  Isabel made a face. “Ewww.”

“That’s what I said!  Anyway, want to go?”  Isabel shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.  I’ll have to be back by 10 though, that’s when Papa expects me home.” 

“Yeah, me too.  But it’s only five now, so we have plenty of time. Come on!”  Wesley dragged Isabel out of the food court and towards the holodecks. 

While the children were eating pizza, their parents were having a romantic dinner in Jean-Luc’s quarters.

Jean-Luc poured out a glass of wine for Beverly and she took it gratefully. “Thanks.  I need this after today.” 

“Busy day?”  Jean-Luc put his glass down to give Beverly a shoulder rub.  She moaned as he found a particular knotted spot. “Mm, not busy.  I had Isabel shadowing me today. That was fun.  But Reg came in again.”

“He’s been in every day since we launched, hasn’t he?” 

“Yep.  Every day, it’s a new ailment.  He’s always so sure he has some obscure alien disease and I have to convince him he doesn’t.”  Jean-Luc frowned. “Well, he _did_  come highly recommended.  It’s a good thing he does a good job in Engineering...but I’m sorry. I didn’t know he would be such a pain for you.”  Beverly sighed.

“Never mind. Tell me how your meeting went today.”

“Fine, fine.  Having Wesley along made it more bearable.  He and I got to talk on the shuttle trip.  It was....nice. “ Beverly let out another moan. “Mm, what you’re doing with your fingers is nice...” Jean-Luc chuckled.  “I think we should tell the children the truth and all move in together. What do you think?”  Beverly turned around to face him on the sofa.  “I think it would be better than sneaking around behind our children’s backs.  At the very least, we should tell them we’re dating.” 

“Hmm.  It feels weird, dating my ex-wife and mother to my children. Couldn’t we just get married again?”  Beverly laughed.   “Well, that’s romantic.  ‘Let’s get married because it feels weird dating’.  Thanks.”  Jean-Luc shook his head and pulled her into his arms. “You know what I mean.  I want you to be my wife again...I want us to be a family again.” 

“I think we should first see how the children react to the truth before we spring a marriage on them, don’t you?” 

“Mmm, perhaps.”  Jean-Luc’s lips found hers and he gave her a slow kiss.  “Isabel won’t be home until ten.” 

“Mm, Wesley has to be home by then, too.  What time is it?”

“Six.”  Beverly kissed Jean-Luc.  “Plenty of time...” Jean-Luc frowned. “I wish you could just spend the night.”

“Hmm. Have Will take them on another camping trip?”  Jean-Luc chuckled against her lips. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll suggest it to him in the morning.”

Beverly laughed. “If you suggest it, he’ll think it’s an order. No, I’ll suggest it.”  Jean-Luc nuzzled against her neck. “Whatever you say, Bev.  But less talking, more....”

“Papa, I’m home!”  Jean-Luc was jolted awake by his daughter’s voice.  _Merde_.  Beverly was sound asleep, naked, against his shoulder.  He gently woke her up. “Beverly, my love....we fell asleep. Isabel just got home.” Beverly’s eyes went wide. 

“Where are my clothes? We’ll say you didn’t feel well and called me over to check on you.” 

“Wouldn’t it just be easier to tell her we’re dating?”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Dating, sure.  But I’m _in your bed naked_.  That’s a little more than dating...and a little more than I think I want our fifteen-year-old twins to know about their parent’s relationship.” 

“Hmm. You may be right.”  Jean-Luc placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Your uniform is on the back of the chair.  Take it into the bathroom and change. I’ll put on my shorts and tell Isabel I wasn’t feeling well.” 

“Papa, are you still awake?” 

“ _Princesse,_ I’m in bed.”  Isabel slid open the door to her father’s bedroom.  “This early?” 

“I wasn’t feeling well.  Doctor Crusher came over to check on me.”  Isabel heard the sound of the toilet flush and Beverly emerge from the bathroom.  Her hair looked slightly dishevelled, but other than that, she was the picture of professional.  “Right then, Captain. I think it’s just a mild headache and it should be gone by morning.  I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Doctor Isabel.”

“Thank you, Doctor.  Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, Jean-Luc.  Goodnight, Isabel.”  Beverly walked out of Jean-Luc’s bedroom and Isabel called after her. “Didn’t you bring your medkit with you?”

“Uhm...No, I didn’t.  Your father and I were having dinner together when he started...to feel ill...I, ah...better get going and let you both get some rest.  Goodnight, Isabel.” 

“Goodnight....Maman,”  the last word was whispered after Beverly had left and the door to the Captain’s quarters slid shut.  Isabel grinned.  Papa didn’t have a headache.  They had been in bed together.  She couldn’t wait to tell Wesley in the morning what she had almost walked in on....she made a face. On second thought, maybe she didn’t really want to think about her parents in bed together.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few lines in bold were lifted from the S1 episode, The Naked Now. I tried not to make this just a retelling of that episode, but there will be a lot of familiar elements to this chapter.

“Wessy, I think Maman and Papa are having sex.” 

“Ew, that’s gross, Issy.”  Wesley made a face at his sister and put down the pastry he was eating.  “I’m done.”  Isabel grinned and grabbed the croissant off his plate. “More for me, then.”

“Why do you think they’re having sex?”

“Well, you said Papa and Maman were having breakfast together after our camping trip, and last night when I got home Papa was in bed naked and Maman was coming out of the bathroom!  Papa said he hadn’t been feeling well and called for Maman, but I don’t buy it.  Maman didn’t have her medkit!”

“Maybe she forgot it?”  Isabel shrugged and took a bite of Wesley’s discarded croissant.  “I dunno.  They said they were having dinner when Papa felt ill, but then why was he naked?” 

“How do you know he was naked?”

“Well, he wasn’t wearing a shirt and his pyjama shorts were still on the chair...AND he didn’t get out of bed when I came in. _Plus_ Papa’s uniform was crumpled on the floor and he would never do that!”  Wesley made another face. “Maybe he was in his boxers?”  Isabel shook her curls at him. “Nope.  They were crumpled on the floor too.  And every night, Papa takes off his pips and puts them in the dish on his dresser, puts his comm badge next to his pips, his uniform in the refresher for the next day, and his boxers in the laundry chute.  _Plus_ , Maman’s hair was dishevelled. _And,_ Papa would never go to bed before I came home, unless he was really ill.  I think they are sleeping together and not telling us!”  She bit off another piece of Wesley’s breakfast with gusto. 

“Why wouldn’t they tell us though?  I mean,  they’re our _parents_.  Why wouldn’t they want us to be a real family?”

“I dunno, Wessy.  Maybe they think we’d be upset? But...it’s not like we hate each other.” Wesley grinned. “Nah.  You’re alright...for a girl.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re stuck with me, Wessy.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Sis.  I gotta go.  I want to finish my mini tractor beam before class.”

“I didn’t know we had a project for science?”  Wesley shook his head. “We don’t.  I made it for fun.”  Isabel rolled her eyes as Wesley grabbed back the last of his pastry. “Hey, I was eating that!”

“Ugh, I said thinking about our parents grossed me out, not that I wasn’t hungry!” Isabel laughed and waved to Wesley as he left the lounge.  Marissa approached Isabel and sat down.

“Hey.  Are you and Wesley a thing?”  Isabel stared back at her new friend. “A thing?”

“Yeah, you know...a _thing_?” 

“Uhmmm...” Marissa continued and ignored the shocked look on Isabel’s face. “I mean, you guys are always together. You sit together in class, you’re lab partners in science, you eat together...do you sleep together too?”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Eww. With Wesley?  _Gross._ ”

“Then why are you always together?”

“Uhm...our parents...they’ve, ah, known each other for a long time...since before we were born and...ah...”

“Oh, I get it.  So he’s like a brother to you.”  Isabel smiled. “Yeah, _like a brother_.”

###

“Papa, can I help out in Sickbay again?”

“Hmm, _Princesse?_ ”  Jean-Luc put down the PADD he was reading at his desk in their quarters.  “Can I go help out in Sickbay today?”

“If Doctor Crusher says it’s alright, you may.” 

“Thanks, Papa!”  Isabel kissed her father’s cheek before grabbing her lab coat and rushing out the door.  Jean-Luc chuckled.  _She’s so like her mother.  I hope Beverly and I figure out a way to tell them soon._ Jean-Luc gathered the PADDs he was looking at and tucked them under his arm.  No reason not to go to his Ready Room now if Isabel was out.  He only brought the PADDs to his quarters because he thought Isabel would be studying. 

He entered the  Bridge and Will Riker stood up from the middle seat. “No need, Number One.  I have some work to review.  I’ll be in my ready room.”

“Sir, we’ve received an interesting message from the _SS Tsiolkovsky_.”

“The science vessel?  On screen.”

 _“Helllooooo Enterprise.  We’re quite lonely and hoping you can joiiiinnn usssss. But only if the Enterprise has lots of pretty men.  We like to have fuuuun with pretty men.”_ The Captain of the SS Tsiolkovsky sang her message.  Jean-Luc turned to Will.

“What the devil?” 

“What should we do, Sir?” 

“She sounds intoxicated.  Perhaps she was meant to be off-duty and got ahold of the conn.  Try contacting the ship.  I’ll be in my ready room.”

Twenty minutes went by before he was contacted again.

_“Sir, we’ve contacted the Tsiolkovsky.  Something is very wrong there.”_

“Continue, Number One.”

_“The entire crew appear to be...well, like you said earlier, intoxicated.”_

“Could they have had some kind of leak? A hallucinogenic perhaps?  Mister Data?”

_“Unknown, Sir.  We would need to be at closer range to detect any leaks, but it is possible.”_

“Set course for the last known coordinates o the Tsiolkovsky.  Warp seven.”

_“Aye, Sir.”_

“Picard to Sickbay.”

 _“Sickbay here, Captain.”_ Jean-Luc smiled when he heard Beverly’s voice.  “Doctor, we are currently headed towards the last known coordinates for the science vessel, the _SS Tsiolkovsky_. We suspect they may have had some kind of leak causing everyone on the ship to appear intoxicated.” 

_“Like a hallucinogenic?”_

“Mister Data wasn’t sure. He said we needed to get closer. I wanted to advise you to be prepared to treat their entire crew compliment.”

_“How many?”_

“Eighty listed on the crew manifest.”

 _“Eighty?  All affected?”_ He could hear the stress in her voice and he wanted nothing more than to go to Sickbay and kiss her.  “I’m afraid so, Doctor.”

_“Well, alright. If we use all three Sickbay facilities, we should have room for all of them.  Let me alert my staff.  Do we have an ETA?”_

“About two hours.”

_“We’ll be ready.  Crusher out.”_

###

The away team beamed back straight to Sickbay, dejected.  “They’re all dead?”  Beverly looked over the solemn faces of the team. 

“Every last one of them.”  Beverly sighed. “That’s going to be a lot of death certificates.”

“Sorry, Doc.”  Beverly smiled at Geordi.  “Not your fault.  I’d love to do an autopsy on at least one, but....”

“No, Doctor. I’m sorry. Since we didn’t detect any leaks and don’t know what happened over there, I can’t let you bring a body over. At least not until after we finish analysing the ship and the logs.”  Beverly frowned at Jean-Luc who had just entered the room. “I understand.  Right then, Data, hop on the table.”

“Hop, Doctor?”  Beverly rolled her eyes. “Just sit on the table.”  Isabel giggled.  Beverly ran her tricorder over Data. “Ah, you’re perfect.”

“Yes, I know.” 

“Data...perhaps you need to work on being a bit less conceited when someone says something nice about you.”

“What is the proper response?”

“Usually, we say ‘thank you’.”

“Ah, then, thank you, Doctor.”  Beverly smiled. “Now get off my table so I can examine the rest of the team.” 

Will laid down on the table. “Doctor, going a bit far to get me to lay down for you, aren’t you?”  Beverly snorted and Jean-Luc tossed a glare at his first officer. “Number One, my daughter is in the room!”  Will turned and looked at Isabel and gave her a wink, and she giggled. “Sorry, Sir.”

“Right, you’re fine. Off my bed. Tasha, you’re next.”  Examining Tasha took only a minute as well before she was declared fit.  “Geordi, you’re up.”

“Hey Doc,  I have a headache and I feel a little warm.”  Beverly frowned. “Is your VISOR bothering you?”

“I dunno. Maybe.”

“Why don’t you take it off and I’ll check it for you?  Be right back with it.”  Isabel moved over to the now-blind Geordi and reached for his hand. “Geordi, it’s me, Isabel.”

“Hey, Belle.  Thanks.  I hate not being able to see anything.”  Isabel squeezed his hand. “I kinda thought so.  But the Doctor is coming back with your VISOR. You’ll be able to see again soon.”

“Thanks.”  Beverly placed the VISOR in Geordi’s hand and he let go of Isabel to put it back on. “I made a minor adjustment for you. I can give you something for the headache, but the fever does concern me. I’d like you to stay in sickbay for a few hours to see if that goes down on its own or not. The tricorder isn’t picking up anything wrong that would cause a fever, but...”

“Yeah, alright Doc.  Hey, it’s kind of hot in here.” 

“Is it?  I’ll turn down the temperature for you.”

“You had better. I am ROASTING in here!”   Jean-Luc sharply looked up at his lieutenant. “Lieutenant La Forge! That was entirely uncalled for.”

“Well, maybe if Sickbay wasn’t so damned hot!”  Jean-Luc turned to his daughter. “Isabel, I think you had better leave for a bit.”

“Alright, Papa. I was going to go see how Wesley’s project was doing anyway.”  Isabel waved goodbye to Beverly and hung up her lab coat in Beverly’s office before leaving sickbay. 

Isabel found Wesley in his and their mother’s quarters. “Hey Wessy, how’s the mini tractor beam working?”

“Perfect, want to see?” 

“Sure!” Wesley aimed his device at a vase of flowers and lifted the flowers off the table and managed to direct them over to their mother’s desk. “Oh, cool!  Can I try?” 

“Sure.”  Wesley passed the device to Isabel and their hands brushed.  Isabel carefully used the powerful beam to move the flowers back to where they were originally. “Wow, that’s so cool, but what are you going to use it for?”

“I dunno. I just thought I’d make it for fun.  Hey, want to see what else I made?”  Wesley pulled a small device out of his pocket and pressed a button.  “ _Doctor Crusher, report to the bridge.”_

“Hey, that’s Papa’s voice!”

“I know, listen to this –“

“ _Wesley Crusher has now been appointed acting Captain.”_ Isabel giggled.  “You know, we could have a lot of fun with this....”

“Let’s go show it to my mom!”

“Maybe just the tractor beam. Don’t show her the voice thing.”  Wesley nodded at his sister and tucked it back into his pocket. “Good idea.”

The two rushed into Sickbay and were surprised to see both their parents sitting in Beverly’s office. 

“Mom, Sir, I wanted to show you my new invention.”

“It’s really cool, Papa.  I think you’ll like it.” 

“Maybe later, _Princesse._ The doctor and I have some work to do.”  Isabel raised her eyes. “Oh yeah?  What kinda work?  _Kissing?_ ”

“ _Isabel Yvette Picard!_ That was uncalled for!” 

“Sorry, Papa.  But you know it’s the truth.  You like to kiss her.”  Jean-Luc shook his head and reached for his daughter and pulled her in for a hug.  “ _Princesse_ , does it bother you?”  Isabel shook her head. “No, I want you to kiss her. I want you to marry her.”  Beverly blushed and Jean-Luc kissed the top of Isabel’s head. “We’ll talk later, _Princesse._ Now, I need you to stay in sickbay, alright?  You can do whatever Beverly asks you to do, but don’t leave.  Mister La Forge has left Sickbay and he was acting quite aggressive before he left.”

“Geordi is my friend. He wouldn’t hurt me.” 

“I know he wouldn’t _usually_ , but he might in the current state he’s in.  Promise me you’ll stay here and listen to Beverly?”

“Ok, Papa.” Isabel frowned. “Why is it so hot in here?” 

“Are you...feeling alright, _Princesse_?”

“I’m fine, Papa. Just...hot.”  Beverly grinned. “No doubt you’re overheated from running in the corridors with Wes.  Go get yourself a cool drink and then we’ll find something for you to do.”  Isabel nodded.  “Bye, Papa.” 

Beverly looked around. “Where did Wesley go?”  Jean-Luc shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll turn up later.”  Jean-Luc drew  Beverly into his arms.  “Well, it seems Isabel knows we were kissing.”

“Hmm. I hope she thinks all we did was kiss.”  Jean-Luc placed a gentle kiss on her lips and Beverly couldn’t help but deepen the kiss.  “We’ll talk about us later?”  Beverly nodded. 

###

 ** _“Attention all decks, all divisions. Effective immediately, I have handed over control of this vessel to Acting Captain Wesley Crusher.”_**    Jean-Luc looked sharply over at Will Riker from his center seat.  He had just dealt with the Chief Engineer who had seemed to be under the impression that he had paged her to the bridge, in addition to the problem surrounding Geordi and now it seemed Tasha Yar and even Data were beginning to feel the influence of whatever this was.  And why was the bridge so hot?

“Acting Captain?”  Will Riker shrugged.  He had no idea where the Captain’s voice had come from since the man had been sitting next to him. 

 ** _“Thank you, Captain Picard, thank you. And with that order dawns a brave new day for the Enterprise.”_**   Jean-Luc sighed.

“Number One?”

“I’m on it, Sir.”

Will Riker walked into engineering and shook his head.  Wesley had managed to activate some kind of force field locking both him and the assistant engineer behind the computers. 

“Riker to Picard.”

_“Report, Number One.”_

“Wesley has some sort of force field generator locking him and Shimoda in main Engineering.  Shimoda has pulled out all the isolinear chips and is tossing them in the air like confetti.  The computer is completely cut off. We can’t get it back online until we can get behind Wes’ field.”

_“Keep trying, Number One. I’ll be there shortly.”_

“Aye, Sir.”

Jean-Luc was heading towards the turbolift doors when they slid open to reveal Beverly.  She had changed into a skant, putting her long dancer legs on display.  “Captain, I need to speak with you right now.  It’s urgent!”

“My ready room....Mister Worf, you have the bridge. And for the love of god, figure out why it’s so damned hot in here!”

The door slid shut and Beverly had her lips on Jean-Luc’s. “Jean-Luc...I have needs...desires....I’m a woman who needs a man....right now...a woman who needs _her_ man....” 

“Beverly, my love...we shouldn’t be doing this here.  Not in my ready room, and not in the middle of a crisis.  Can’t it wait?”

 “Jean-Luc, don’t you want me?”  Jean-Luc responded by kissing her before pulling back.  “Mm, you know I do. But Beverly, we need to fix this problem first.  What’s wrong with all of us?”

“It’s an intoxication virus, like Data and Will found in the old _Enterprise_ records,”  Beverly leaned forward and kissed him again. “Only this time, it’s mutated. It passes though contact  and....Oh god, I can’t even think right now.  All I want is for you to throw me on your desk and make love to me.” 

Jean-Luc set his face in a line and tried his best to hide his desire. “Yes...while that sounds like..” Beverly kissed him again and he kissed her back, “A good idea, I think we should try to solve this problem first...and there is the matter of our son thinking he has control of the ship!”

“Wesley?” 

“Do we have another son?”  Beverly grinned. “I don’t know, want to try to make one?” Beverly reached behind and tugged down the zipper to her skant and sat on the edge of his desk.

_“Beverly! Not now!”_

Beverly seemed to snap out of her daze momentarily.  “What am I doing here? Jean-Luc, why did I almost take my....why am I wearing a skant?!” 

“I think, my love, you are infected with the same virus that Geordi has.” 

“Oh.  Well, I better get back to Sickbay and find us a cure!”  Beverly kissed Jean-Luc once more and headed for the door. “Uh, Bev? Might want to zip back up your skant?”

“Oh, right.”  Beverly turned her back to Jean-Luc. “Zip it for me?”

“Uhhn, I’d rather be unzipping....”  He slowly tugged up the zip and placed a kiss on her neck. “Later?”

“Mmm. Definitely later.”

###

Jean-Luc joined Will in Engineering. “Report.”

“Nothng new, Sir.  We’re still trying to take down Wesley’s force field over there.”  Jean-Luc glanced over at it. “Ah, I think it’s a modified tractor beam.  He wanted to show it to me earlier today, but we were busy.  Have the engineers who are still sober work on it as if it was a modified tractor beam.”

“Got it.”

“Bill?”  Deanna walked towards Will and Jean-Luc.  “Captain?  There are...too many...voices..”  Deanna swayed and Will caught her before she hit the deck. “I’ll take her to sickbay, Sir.”

“No, Number One. I’ll take care of Counsellor Troi. I need you to get control of my ship back from my...from Wesley!”

Jean-Luc picked Deanna up in his arms and noticed the woman was lighter than Beverly, about the same size as Isabel.  He made a note not to mention _that_ to Beverly.  “Don’t you worry, Counsellor. I’ve carried Isabel back to her bed many a time.  I’ve got you.” Deanna whimpered. “It’s all right, Deanna. Close your eyes and go to sleep if you can.”  Deanna nodded and closed her eyes. “Sir, you’re pretty good at that.”

“I do have a daughter.  I’m just treating the counsellor the same way I would treat Isabel if she wasn’t feeling well.”

“I think Deanna will appreciate that.”

“Quite. Now get my ship back!”

Jean-Luc gently carried Deanna into Sickbay and laid her on one of the biobeds before going into Beverly’s office.

“Captain, what brings you to my office?”  Beverly leaned over the desk so she could capture Jean-Luc’s lips in a kiss.  “Doctor, I see you’re still wearing the skant.” 

“I see you’re not.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Should I?”

“Yes. If more men see the Captain in a skant, they might wear one too...plus, you have nice legs.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Then, I’ll go change.”  He leaned forward and kissed her once more before skipping out of her office, not noticing his own daughter was standing just outside balancing two cups of coffee in her hands.

Isabel slammed the cups of coffee down on the desk. “I saw you kissing Papa.  You slept with him too, didn’t you?”

“Isabel, I don’t think that’s an appropriate topic for a young girl and...”

“And who?  Her _Mother_?”  Shock registered on Beverly’s face.  “Ah...”

“Don’t lie to me!”  Tears streamed down Isabel’s face and she began to blubber.  “I always wanted to know what I had done to make my Maman go away.  I wanted her in my life, but Papa always told me you two had an agreement...and then I met Wesley at school and we found out we’re not just related but twins? I had a brother and neither you nor Papa eve told me and even when I met you last week and almost called you Maman, you _still didn’t tell me who you were._   I just want a mother is that too much to ask.....MAMAN....MAMAN...”  Isabel cried out and collapsed into Beverly’s arms. Beverly gently lowered them to the floor. She rocked her daughter back and forth and her own tears fell on Isabel’s head as she kissed the top of her daughter’s head.

“My sweet baby girl, I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.  I’m sorry.  We shouldn’t have let our disagreements get in the way of raising you and Wesley together.  I _do_ love you.  You have to know that I do...my baby, my sweet, sweet baby girl....” Both women were sobbing and clinging to one another, each speaking incoherently, but somehow finding release.

###

Jean-Luc entered Engineering wearing a skant.  Will raised his eyebrows. “Nice dress.”

“Thank you, Number One. Beverly thought it might encourage more of our male crew to wear a skant if the Captain was seen wearing one.” 

“Beverly did, did she?” 

“Yes.  Now, how is it going here?”  Will frowned. “Not very well, Sir.  We’ve almost managed to take down his force field, but then we have to get all the chips back in the right slots before we can reboot the computer....and the other ship is drifting closer to us.” 

“Wesley....Wes?  Can I...talk with you for a minute? Will you let me in?”

“No.  You can’t even admit to me that you’re my father. Why should I let you in at all?”  Will’s eyes went wide and after glancing over at the Captain, he began to usher anyone not working on releasing the beam out of the area.  “Come on people, back to work. Nothing to see here.” 

“Wesley.  Please? Let’s...talk.  Lower the force field so we can move the ship away from the other ship and away from the debris of the star.” 

“Move away?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “The ship might be destroyed, along with all of us if we don’t figure something out fast.”

“What about turning the tractor beam into a repulsion beam?”

“Can we...can we do that?” 

“I just did with my mini tractor beam.” 

“Wesley....please?  I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you and I promise you, I want to make amends. Your mother and I....”

“Are sleeping together.  Don’t think I don’t know what was happening when I was camping!”  Wesley shouted across engineering.  Jean-Luc winced.

“Wesley, this isn’t the right time or place for this discussion....”  Will quietly ordered the rest of the engineering crew away from the area, even the ones who had been working on the beam.  This didn’t sound like a discussion the Captain wanted witnesses to. Not even him.  He took up a position at the entrance to Engineering to keep everyone out of the area while father and son talked.  Will was a little shocked himself at the discovery, but it wasn’t that far-fetched, given how much Wesley resembles Jean-Luc and how close Jean-Luc and the Doctor were. 

“Well, when _is_ the right time, _Papa_?  Isabel and I are fifteen and we only discovered two years ago at Junior Academy that the other exists! We’ve been asking you and Mom for the past two years to tell us about our other parent and neither of you did! And when we were all put on the _Enterprise_ together, Issy and I thought for sure you and Mom would tell us...but you didn’t.  And yet, you and Mom are sleeping together.” Wesley kicked a chair and it bounced off his force field, but Jean-Luc still flinched.

“ _Wesley Robert Picard!_ This is _not_ the time or place for this discussion.”  Wesley looked up, startled.

“You called me Picard.”

“That’s your name, son. My son.  You’re my son.  Wesley Robert Picard is my son...and I’m damned proud of him and I should have told him a long time ago.  Come on, show your old man how to make a tractor beam into a repulsion beam.”

“Fine,” Wesley deactivated his force field and Jean-Luc let out a sigh of relief.  “Uh...Papa? Why are you wearing a dress?”

“Ask your mother. It was her idea.”

###

Beverly wiped away Isabel’s tears and smiled at the girl. “Are we ok now? Will you...will you let me be your mother?”  Isabel slowly nodded.  “You know, _Princesse_ , I’ve always wished I had the courage to tell you I was your mother.  I’m sorry I’ve missed so much.  You and Wesley and your father are my entire world.” 

Isabel hugged her mother for the first time in fifteen years. “Isabel, I love you.”

“I love you too, Maman.” Beverly grinned. “Maman, I like that.  Think you can get Wes to call me that?” 

“I got him using Papa.  But he said it was easy since he called Jack dad.”  Beverly frowned. “He’s mad at me, isn’t he?”

“Probably.  I’m pretty mad at Papa right now.  Maman, will you marry Papa again?” 

“Is that what you want?”  Isabel nodded. “Me and Wessy....we want us to be family.”

“Wessy, eh?” 

“He started it. He called me Issy the day I was crying in my room.” Beverly’s eyes went wide.  “You were his roommate, weren’t you? I thought his roommate’s name was Bella, but he was saying Belle.”  Isabel nodded.

“Tell me the story later.  Right now, we have a cure to find.” 

###

“Wesley...how did you learn all this?”  Jean-Luc watched in astonishment as his son made adjustments to the tractor beam and somehow was managing to reverse it. 

“If you were actually around when I was a kid, maybe you’d know,” Wesley spat out and poked harder than necessary at the screen. 

“Wesley, I told you.  I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry. What can I do to make up for missing you growing up?”

“Do?!  You want to know what you can do!?  Invent a time machine and go back and tell me you loved me.  Teach me how to play ball.  Show me how to tie my shoes.  Do all the things my friends had fathers to do for them that I didn’t!”  Hot angry tears coursed down Wesley’s face as he continued to jab at the screen.  “I needed a father.  I needed _you_. And you couldn’t even tell me when Jack died that you were my father and not him! I spent eight years thinking my father was dead....when he wasn’t, but he might a well had been!” Wesley angrily wiped the tears away from his cheeks.

Jean-Luc hung his head. “I deserved that.  I really did.  But Wesley...please.  Son...”

“So now I’m your son? When I can fix your ship, I’m your son, but when I fell in the stream on the holodeck I was what?  Just the son of the woman you were fucking?!”

 _“WESLEY ROBERT PICARD._ I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THAT WORD OUT OF YOUR MOUTH AGAIN.  Especially not about your mother.”  Wesley winced.  He had heard his father get angry before, but he had never been yelled at by his father.  Suddenly, Wesley grinned.  Jean-Luc shot him a puzzled look.  “What?”

“You’re yelling at me.” 

“Yes, I am....”

“My father is yelling at me.” 

“Oh....kay...”  Jean-Luc shot a puzzled look over at Will, who only shrugged.  “Wesley....we’re all under the influence of some kind of hallucinogenic that makes us feel drunk.  I think...once your mother develops the cure and we become sober, we need to sit down as a family and talk.”  He rested his hand on Wesley’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  Wesley watched his monitor and let out a whoop of joy.

“I did it!  Papa, look!”  Jean-Luc watched as the tractor beam managed to repel the other ship.  Jean-Luc beamed. “Good job, Son.”

_“Sickbay to Picard.”_

“Picard here.”

_“We found a cure.  I’ve administered it to myself and everyone in Sickbay, and I’ll be down to Engineering momentarily to deliver the cure to you.”_

“Excellent news, Doctor.  Congratulations.”

_“Well, actually, Jean-Luc....it was our daughter who noticed the sequencing problem with the isotopes.”_

“Well, what a coincidence, Beverly.  It seems our son managed to save the ship from destruction.”

 _“Sounds like we have a pretty good set of kids.”_ Jean-Luc looked over at Wesley and grinned. “We sure do, Beverly.”


	9. Chapter 9

“I don’t even know where we should do this.  My quarters? Yours? Someplace neutral?”  Jean-Luc ran his hand over his bald pate as he paced back and forth in his ready room.  Beverly sat on the sofa and giggled. “Jean-Luc, do you realise how ridiculous you look in that skant?”

“ _You_ thought I should wear one!” 

“Oh, right.  Well, it’s distracting me.”  Jean-Luc wickedly grinned at her.  “It is, is it? How do you think I feel? You’re wearing one too...”  He moved closer to where she was seated on the sofa and stood in front of her to kiss her.

“Well, yes, but you’ve seen me in a dress before.  I don’t usually see your bare legs unless we are...” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at her. “Are what, my love?”  Beverly laughed and pushed him aside.  “Stop.  We have to talk about the children right now.  We can’t be distracted.”  Jean-Luc leaned forward and nipped her earlobe. “Too late.”

“Oh ,you.” 

“Besides, wasn’t it you who wanted me to make love to her on my desk?”  Beverly blushed. “Well...I....ah...was under the influence....” 

“Mm-hmm. But you said yourself that it only intensified existing feelings and desires....”  Jean-Luc pulled Beverly into a standing position, backed her towards his desk, and kissed her.

She laughed, but she perched on the edge of his desk and pulled him in close.  “Mm, think I just found an advantage to the skant on you.”

“What’s that, my love?”

“This.”  Beverly reached under and tugged down his underwear and he chuckled against her lips as he kicked his shorts off the rest of the way.  He raised his eyebrows at her and she grinned back and slowly pulled off her knickers and tossed them aside.  “Oh, Beverly....”

###

“I can’t believe we just did that...was the door even sealed?”  Jean-Luc had his head resting on Beverly’s shoulder and he turned his head to kiss her neck. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”  Beverly lightly smacked him. “Jean-Luc!”

“Yes, love?”

“We just had sex in your ready room.” 

“I was there, you know...” Beverly snorted. “Stop. I’m being serious.  Are we still under the influence?” 

“No. I feel completely sober.”

“Me too.”  Jean-Luc lifted his head and kissed her lips before locating their underwear and passing her knickers to her.  “I’m just going to...” Beverly gestured towards his bathroom.  He nodded. “Tea?” 

“Is that your answer to everything?  ‘let our basal instincts take over and make love in a public place, then drink tea’?” 

“My Ready Room isn’t public.  The arboretum would be public....now _there’s_ an idea.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes.  “You’re worse than Wesley.” 

“Our son has sex in public places?”  He raised his eyebrows at her, “I hope he’s not having sex at all!”

“That’s not what I meant.  I meant, you’re acting about as mature as a fifteen-year-old.” 

“Can’t help it, I’m in love.  I love you, Beverly.” 

“I love you too.”

When Beverly emerged from the bathroom, she laughed to herself as she noticed Jean-Luc had set out a tea set and he had managed to replicate and change into a regular uniform.  He passed her hers.  “I, ah, thought you might like to wear your normal uniform instead.” 

“Thanks.”  Beverly quickly changed back into a duty uniform and Jean-Luc groaned when she was momentarily half-naked and he couldn’t resist leaning over and kissing her. 

She picked up a cup and grinned. “So, now that we got _that_ out of our system...what are we going to do about the twins?” 

Jean-Luc sipped his tea. “Well, now that the truth is out – or at least, they’ve each told us they know we’re their parents – I suppose we...move forward.” He reached over for her hand and gave it a squeeze.  “Move back in with me.  There’s a bedroom for Wes, and we can start to be a family again....and....Marry me?”

“Again?”

“Yes, again.  Beverly, I love you.  I regret all our silly arguments and walking out on you.  I want us to be a family – you, me, Isabel, and Wesley.” Beverly softly smiled. “I want that, too.  But I think we need to talk to the children first.  Get everything....out in the open.”  Jean-Luc nodded.

“So that brings us back to the first question...where do we do this? I don’t want to get Counsellor Troi or anyone else involved...Isabel and Wes might benefit from some counselling later...we might as well....but for now, I think we need to talk this over privately.” 

“I agree.  Jean-Luc, why don’t we use the holodeck?” 

“That’s a good idea.”

“La Barre.” Jean-Luc shot Beverly a puzzled look. “You want to use La Barre? Wouldn’t that give Isabel and me the advantage since we lived there? Why not someplace you and Wes lived? Or someplace none of us have lived?” 

“No, not your house.  I just loved La Barre and really miss it there.”

“There’s Aunt Adele’s cottage.”  Beverly smiled wistfully. “I loved our time at her cottage.”  Jean-Luc reached over and squeezed her hand. “Me too.  We could...go back next time we’re on shore leave.”

“I’d like that.” 

“But is it a neutral location? We spent some of the best days of our marriage there...”

“The garden.”

“Hmm?” 

“I remember the garden with the gazebo.”  Jean-Luc grinned. 

“Let’s use that. We can do a picnic and have it a bit casual...we should change out of our uniforms and leave our comm badges behind.  I’ll tell Commander Riker not to bother us unless the ship is being attacked.” 

“I’ll put Dr Selar in charge of sickbay.”

“When should we do this?” 

“Sooner rather than later.  Now?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Do we know where the children are?”  Beverly shook her head.  “Class?  Or together somewhere...they seemed to have hit it off pretty well.”

“That they have. I’m so grateful.  It would be awful if they hated each other.”

“I am too,” Beverly stood.  “Ok, let’s do this.”

“Give me a little time to get the program right...do you want to help?” 

“Sure.”

“Ok, pull up a chair to the desk. I _think_ I remember how to make a holodeck program.” 

###

Isabel was crying under a tree in the arboretum when Wesley finally found her. He sat down next to her. “What’s wrong, Issy?”

“Oh, Wessy...I think I ruined _everything_!!!” 

Wesley put his arm around her.  “Don’t say that.  What happened?”

“I kinda....yelled at Maman.  I told her I knew who she was and how mad I was at her...and at Papa and now she’ll never want to be my mother and I ruined our chances of getting them back together!” She rested her head on her brother’s shoulder. 

“Well, I yelled at Papa.” 

“You did?”

“Yeah. And I kicked a chair.”  Isabel smiled through her tears. “You _kicked a chair_ at Papa?” 

“Well, it bounced off the force field, but yeah.”  Isabel giggled. “I bet Papa was mad.” 

“He used my full name. In front of everyone.”  Isabel’s jaw dropped. “Picard, not Crusher?”  Wesley nodded. “Picard, not Crusher.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“So now what?  Do you think they’re really mad at us?”  Wesley shrugged. “I dunno.  I mean...we told them we knew we were siblings, so they kind of have to talk to us...right?”

“I guess so. But what if they punish us for yelling and they don’t let us see each other?”

“Issy, you’re my sister.  I don’t think Mom and Papa would do that.  I’m worried Papa will ground me from the bridge.” 

“Were you very awful to him?” Wesley looked at the ground.  “I...ah...told him he might as well be dead.”  Isabel lifted her head from her brother’s shoulder and shoved him. “You _didn’t!_ ”

“Issy...please don’t you be mad at me too!”  Isabel frowned, but rested her head on his shoulder again. “Fine, but that was really mean! How could you wish Papa dead!” 

“I know.  I know.  I wasn’t thinking. I was so mad. He let me think my father was dead the whole time he knew he was my dad and I just lashed out.” 

“I saw Maman and Papa kissing.” 

“You did? When?”

“In Maman’s office. They were drunk from the virus, but I don’t think it was a first kiss.  Did you see Papa wearing the Skant?”  Wesley nodded. “He told me to ask Mom about it.” Isabel giggled. “Maman suggested he wear one so other male crew would.”

“And Papa listened to her?”  Isabel rolled her eyes. “I bet if you loved a girl and she asked you to do something, you would do it.” 

“No way!  I still wouldn’t wear a _dress_.” 

“Hmm.  You know, we’re Scottish.  Maman might make you wear a kilt for the wedding.”  Wesley wrinkled his nose. “What wedding?”

“Maman and Papa.” 

“Are they getting married again?” 

“I dunno, but isn’t that what we want?  Maman and Papa to get married so we can all live together?”   Wesley smiled.  “Yeah.  Hey, does this mean we’d all live in the Captain’s quarters?”  Isabel shrugged. “I guess so.  There’s a bedroom on the other side of my bathroom.  I guess that’s your room and we’ll have to share the bathroom.” Wesley nudged Isabel’s shoulder with his.

“Ew.  Just don’t junk up the counter with girlie things.” 

“No. I’m going to ask Maman and Papa if I can have a vanity table like Maman’s.” Wesley rolled his eyes. “You’re such a girl.”

“Yeah? Get used to it.”  Wesley made a face and Isabel laughed. 

Marissa approached the siblings with Tomas.  “Hey, you said you guys weren’t together!”

“Uh...we’re not? Ew, why would you even _think_ that?” Wesley looked incredulously at their new friends. “I said to Belle, you guys are always together. And here you are, under a tree, with your arm cuddled around Isabel.”

“Ugh.  We’re not cuddling under the tree....” Wesley looked down. “Ok, we are. But...Ewww.  Why would I date my _sister_?!”

“But you’re not _really_ siblings, are you? Your parents are just friends.  Your dad is dead, and Belle’s parents divorced when she was a baby.  You have different last names!” 

“Uhm...actually, Marissa, my name is Wesley Picard and Captain Picard is my father.”

“And Doctor Picard...I mean, Crusher, is my mother.”  Marissa looked between the two and started laughing. “You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?” 

“Nope.”

“I don’t believe you.  I think you’re just playing with us. Come on, Tomas. We don’t need those two.”

Wesley and Isabel watched the other two teenagers walk away and Isabel laughed. “Oh well. We don’t need them, do we?”

“Nah, but I thought you liked Tomas?”  Isabel shook her head. “Not really. I only hung out with him because I thought you liked Marissa.”

“Oh.  Well...I don’t.  But I do think Alina is cute.” 

“Ugh. You would like the blonde.” 

“Hey! What does that mean?” 

“Boys always like blondes. Maybe I should dye my hair.”  Wesley reached over and tugged on one of her red curls. “Don’t you dare.  Your hair is pretty, and if a boy can’t see that...well, he’s not worth it, alright?”  Isabel grinned at her brother. “Alright.”  Isabel laid her head back on Wesley’s shoulder. 

“I guess we should go find Maman and Papa.  They probably want to talk to us now.”

“Probably. We can ask the computer where they are.”  Isabel reluctantly stood. “Let’s go.” 

“Are you going to be ok?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Wesley and Isabel left the arboretum and Wesley asked the computer where their parents were.  “Computer: Location of Captain Picard and Doctor Crusher?”

_“Captain Picard is on Holodeck 4J.  Doctor Picard-Crusher is on Holodeck 4J.”_

“Hmm. I wonder what they’re doing on the holodeck.”  Isabel wiggled her eyebrows at Wesley.

“Eww, Issy, I don’t want to think about that!” Isabel giggled and pressed a button on the computer panel. “Computer: Page Captain Picard for Isabel Picard. Authorisation Picard-eight-six-four-delta.”

_“Picard here.”_

“Papa! Wesley and I were wondering where you and Maman were?” 

_“We’re on Holodeck 4J and we are waiting for you and your brother to join us.”_

“I’m kinda hungry Papa, can it wait?”  She could hear her father laughing. _“Join us for a picnic.”_ Isabel looked over at Wesley, who nodded. “Ok, Papa. We’ll be there. Picard out.”

“Hey, what was that code?”

“Oh, I bet Papa gives you one.  It’s so I can contact Papa on the comm since strictly speaking, only the senior staff are supposed to be able to contact the Captain without going through the switchboard.  So if I give my code to the computer, it puts me though.”

“Wicked. Come on, Issy, I’m hungry too.”

Wesley and Isabel entered the holodeck onto a lush, green meadow filled with flowers blowing in a light breeze.  “Wow, this is pretty. Where are we?”

Isabel looked around. “It kinda looks like La Barre, but not a place I’ve been to before.  But look, there’s a path through the meadow.” 

The siblings cut a path through the meadow until they came to a kissing gate.  Isabel showed Wesley how to get through the gate and they spotted their parents in a gazebo with a small cottage behind.  Realisation dawned on Isabel. “Wessy, I think this is Aunt Adele’s cottage.” 

“Aunt Adele had a cottage?” Isabel nodded. “Yeah.  But Papa never took me to see it. He only pointed it out once when we were riding.” 

Their parents stood up and waved them over and when the siblings stepped onto the gazebo they were enveloped into a group hug with their parents.  Jean-Luc kissed the top of Isabel’s head.  “I think we should all sit down and talk.  But first...Picard to Riker.”

_“Riker here.”_

“Number One, please ensure that the Doctor and I are not disturbed until...” he looked over at Beverly who shrugged. “Further notice.  Only disturb us if we are under attack-”

“Or if there’s a medical emergency Selar and Doctor Hill can’t handle”  Jean-Luc smiled at Beverly. “Did you get all that, Number One?”

“ _I sure did, Sir.  Don’t worry about it. We’ll keep the ship ticking over. Enjoy your time with your family.”_

“Thank you, Number One. Picard out.   Computer:  Seal door and disconnect all outside comm links save for the emergency line. Authorisation Picard-Alpha-Tango-Three.”

 _“Confirmed.”_ Jean-Luc grinned at his family. “Well, shall we?”  Beverly and Jean-Luc had set a blanket out on the floor of the gazebo and scattered a few pillows around for comfort.  Beverly sunk down onto a large cushion and Jean-Luc sat opposite her.  Isabel hesitated before settling down between her parents, and Wesley sat on the other corner.

“We have...food.”  Isabel laughed and Wesley grinned.  “We didn’t know what you two would want so we just brought lots of options...or you could ask the holodeck to make you something else.”  Jean-Luc opened a bottle of wine and poured glasses for him and Beverly and hesitated. “Bev, I’ve been allowing Isabel a half glass of wine since she was eleven....” 

“It’s fine.  Wes, want to try some wine?”

“I’ve already been drunk once today, no thanks.”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “A good policy, son.  Belle, do you want some?”  Belle shook her head. “Nah. If Wessy isn’t going to have any, I won’t either.” 

Beverly glanced around at the people she loved and smiled.  “I think we all need to talk and get everything out in the open.” 

“Maman,” Beverly grinned at her daughter. “Are you and Papa going to get married again?” 

“Yes.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at Beverly.

“Alright, probably.  If that’s okay with the two of you?”  Isabel nodded. “We wanted it since we were thirteen and met.”

“Yes, please do explain how you met when you were thirteen and didn’t tell us about it for two years?”

“Mom, why don’t you tell _us_ why you didn’t tell us about each other for fifteen years?” 

 _“Wesley!”_ Wesley glared at his father. “I thought you said we were going to talk about everything?”  He sighed. “You’re right,” Jean-Luc reached across the blanket for Beverly’s hand before speaking. “Your mother and I...when we divorced, we felt it would be easier if we each raised one of you and didn’t have contact.  Our break-up...I still loved your mother very much, but our marriage was suffering.” 

“Why?  What happened?”  Jean-Luc glanced over at Beverly, who nodded.  “Alright kids,  I think we first need to tell you a bit about how we got together. Your mother and I met when we were at the Academy. I was in my last year, and your mother was in her first.  We hit it off as friends at first, and we kept in touch when I went on my first assignment.  Your mother was assigned to my ship for an internship and we started seeing each other...and shortly after we discovered Beverly was pregnant.”

“So...we weren’t planned?”  Beverly sighed. “Just because you weren’t planned, doesn’t mean you weren’t wanted.” 

“Exactly.  We got married, and your mother moved to Starbase 32 since our Captain wouldn’t allow children on board. When we found out we were having twins....well, it was a huge shock. We had a lot more to consider...not just one baby, but two?  It was going to be a lot of work and your mother was almost finished her medical degree and we didn’t want her to have to put it off.  So, I was going to take some leave and stay home to help raise the two of you for a year while your mother finished her studies.”  Jean-Luc took a sip of his wine and noticed Beverly had tears in her eyes.  Jean-Luc moved to her side of the blanket and pulled her into his arms.  “Shhh, my love. It’s in the past, but I think our children need to know what happened.” 

Beverly nodded, and Jean-Luc continued.  “My ship, the _Stargazer_ was attacked by Cardassians.  The Captain and the First Officer were both dead, and the Second Officer was hysterical, so I stepped up and took charge of our ship and got us back to Starbase 32.  I was offered the Captaincy.  I was twenty-eight, and I would be the youngest Captain in the fleet...and I accepted.  Without talking it over with my wife, without thinking about the commitment I had made to her...and to the two of you.  Your mother and I tried to make our marriage work and tried to make raising you together work for the first few months of your lives, but every time I was home we....bickered.”

“It was stupid things.  I’m sorry, Jean-Luc.”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  “It wasn’t stupid.  You were having a hard time with two babies and your internship.  I just wasn’t listening.” 

“I told your father to get out.”  Isabel gasped.  She always thought it had been her father who had decided to end their marriage.  “We decided to each raise one of our babies....we just wrote your names on pieces of paper and each grabbed one.  And like that,  our marriage was over...a few years later when I was feeling the strain of being a single mother to Wesley, Jack Crusher asked me out and I somehow wound up married to him.” 

“Mom, how do you just wind up married to someone?” 

“Well, Wes...when you’re lonely....”

“Was marrying Jack a mistake?”  Beverly slowly nodded.  “I wanted to try to work things out with your father at the time....and I made a stupid mistake.” 

“How come you didn’t get back together with Papa when Jack died?”

“Uhmmm.....”  Beverly blushed

“ _Mom!”_

“Look, Wes. I think there are some aspects of my relationship with your father that I don’t think you want to know.” 

“I remember Papa reading me a story and tucking me in that night.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “You remember that?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were my Papa back then.”

“I’m sorry, son. I should have told you.”

“It’s not fair.  Wesley saw Papa when he was five, but I never saw my Maman! I never even knew I had a mother.  I mean, I knew I had one at some point, but...”

“Actually, Isabel, you did.”

“Maman?” Beverly took a deep breath. “That night.  I told your father I wanted to see you, so we came to La Barre and I watched you sleep. You opened your eyes at one point and smiled at me.”  

“Oh,” Isabel sniffed and held back her tears. “But you didn’t get back together with Papa. Didn’t you want me?”  Beverly held out her free arm to Isabel and she crawled over.  “Of course I want you, baby.  But right after Jack died it seemed inappropriate to tell your father I wanted to be with him again.” 

“I...I guess I understand.”  Wesley was looking a little lonely, so Jean-Luc held out his arm and Wesley  joined the family hug.  “I wanted to be in your life so badly, Wes.  Walker would send me photos and tell me about you and all I wanted to do was to tell your mother I wanted to be in your life, even if she didn’t want me....but I was scared. I was so scared.”

“Papa, what were you scared of?”

“You not wanting me in your life.” 

“Oh.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Now, you two have some explaining to do. You’ve known each other since you were thirteen?!” Wesley detangled himself from his father to reach for a sandwich.  He bit down with gusto and looked over at Isabel before answering.

“Yeah. Uhm...Starfleet Junior Academy?”

“Jean-Luc, they were suitmates.”  Jean-Luc looked at Beverly with shock on his face. “You knew?”  She shook her head. “Isabel told me earlier when we were....talking.”

“I see. So neither one of you told us you had met...but I assume Walker knew.”  Isabel nodded. “Uh-huh, Daddy.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Don’t think you can ‘Daddy’ me and get away with this young lady.” 

“Sorry.”

“So, let me guess. Parent’s weekend.  You both went to La Barre and my brother and sister-in-law never bothered telling me.”

“Sorry, Papa.  Sorry, Mom.”  Beverly laughed. “It’s alright, Wes.  You were with Walker, and I suppose you were with family, too. How many times did you visit La Barre in the past two years?”

“Six? Maybe seven?”

“Well, I’m just glad you got to meet your aunt and uncle.”

“And Rene.  He’s alright, for a baby.”  Beverly grinned.  “Maman, are you and Papa going to have a baby?”

Beverly was surprised by the question.  “We haven’t discussed it...I think I’d like us to be a family for a little while before we have another baby, if that’s alright with you, Isabel.”  Isabel smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that. But I want a little sister.” 

“You know, _Princesse,_ it could be a boy.  And if we have a girl, you’ll have to share being my _Princesse_  with her.” Isabel frowned.  “You might have twins again!”

Beverly laughed. “I see you haven’t gotten to that part in biology yet. While it’s not unheard of, the odds are long, especially on creating fraternal twins like you and your brother because it meant my ovaries sent two eggs instead of one. Identical twins are one egg that splits.”

“Oh.”

“Ewww. Do we have to talk about _that_.”  Jean-Luc chuckled at his son. “Good to know where you stand with it, Wes.” 

“I don’t mind you having another baby.  I just don’t want to think about how it’s made.”  Wesley shuddered.  Isabel laughed.  “I _told_ you, Maman and Papa are having sex”

_“Isabel Yvette!”_

“Sorry, Maman.  But you are, aren’t you?” Isabel reached for a sandwich while Beverly exchanged a glance with Jean-Luc.  “Your father and I started seeing each other about a year and a half ago.” 

“What!”

“Your father and I thought you were both away at your schools....we never mentioned which school either of you were attending or we might have suggested sooner talking to you.  Even when Wesley told me his roommate’s name was Belle, I thought he said Bella and I never put the pieces together that it might be you.”

“And you, you little sneak, never once told me the name of your lab partner. Only that it was a boy.”  Isabel grinned. “If I told you his name was Wesley, you’d have known who it was.  It’s not like it’s a common name, is it?”

“I suppose not. But why didn’t you tell us?”

“We were afraid you would separate us since we weren’t supposed to know about each other.”  Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly before replying.  “I don’t think we would have separated you...we would have had this talk a bit earlier....”

“But you and Maman might not have been together.  How did _that_ happen?” 

“Would you believe, it was when Maman passed her Commander exam?  Her exam was the same time I returned from that mission and we quite literally ran into each other.  We went out to dinner that night and the rest of the time Maman was at Command....and then when  I was offered the _Enterprise_ , I went to Starbase 32 and Admiral Quinn...well, when I accepted the assignment, he automatically assigned Maman here since he thought she was still my wife because her last name was still Picard.”  Wesley gasped. 

“You never changed your name? Why not?”  Beverly shrugged. “I’m not sure.  I guess I wanted us to have the same last name.  Jack didn’t want to adopt you, and I didn’t want to take away your father’s parental rights, so we only called you Crusher at the pre-school on base and then it just...stuck.  Check your birth certificate.  It says Picard.”  Wesley grinned at his mother.  “Issy and I looked them up two years ago.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “I see.”

“Is that why the computer called you Picard-Crusher earlier?”  Beverly nodded. “Wes, your name is listed as the same on the ship’s manifest for now. I couldn’t legally change my name to Crusher, not now that Jack is dead, but your father and I didn’t want the crew to start asking questions as to why I was Doctor Picard.” 

“But now you’ll use Picard?”   Beverly shrugged. “Your father and I haven’t discussed that yet.” 

“Well, I think you should!”

“Thank you, Isabel.”

Isabel reached for an apple and took a bite out before talking. “So, can we all live together now?” 

Jean-Luc looked between Isabel and Wesley. “Is that what you both want?”

“Uh-huh!”  Jean-Luc looked at Wesley. “Wesley? You’re being quiet.”

“I want us to live together, too. It’s....hard.  After I found out Issy was my sister I just wanted to be close to her and spend time with her and sharing a suite with her at school was awesome.”

“Yeah, and Papa, it’d be a lot easier cos people keep asking Wessy and I if we’re dating. And...Ewwww.”   Jean-Luc laughed.  “Yes, I can see where that could be a problem for you two spending time together.  You didn’t tell anyone you were siblings?”

“Only today.  We told Marissa and Tomas because she said me leaning on Wessy was proof we were dating.” 

“Show me.” Isabel got up and went over to Wesley. Wesley put his arm out and Isabel rested her head against his shoulder like she had been earlier when she was crying.  “I was crying, and Wessy was comforting me.”

“I see why your friends thought you were dating. If they didn’t know you were siblings, you look intimate.”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “With Wessy? Ew.” 

Beverly bit her lip. “I think Wesley should drop the Crusher and start using Picard if he wants to.  That will solve the problem for the two of you if you share a last name.” 

“What about you, my love?”  Jean-Luc reached out and gently traced her jaw.  “I....Jean-Luc, I love you.  I hate that we argued when we were younger and chose divorce over trying to work out our problems, and I hate how we separated our children for so many years of their life.  I...yes.  I’d like to use Picard again.” 

Isabel jumped up and clapped her hands. “So you guys will get married again?” 

“Isabel, hang on, your mother has only agreed to use my name. You’re putting the cart before the horse.” 

“Sorry.”

“Isabel, Wesley...I think that’s something your father and I need to discuss alone, alright?  We know how you both feel, but for now, we’re all going to live together and your father and I will see where our relationship takes us from there.”  Isabel frowned.  “But if you’re Picard, then doesn’t that mean you’re Papa’s wife?”

“Ex-wife, _Princesse._ It’s a little more complicated than that because we filed for divorce and your mother remarried.”

“Oh.  So can we make it....un complicated?”

“ _Isabel_.  Your mother and I will discuss getting married privately, alright?  As soon as we decide what we want to do, you and Wes will be the first to know.”

“Sorry. So, can we move Wessy and Maman into our quarters now?”  Jean-Luc could only grin at his daughter.  “Wesley, you’re sure this is what you want?  You want you and your mother to move into my quarters with me and Isabel?”  Wesley nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“Wes, you don’t need to use Sir.  I understand now why you struggled since you wanted to call me Papa, but now you can.  Unless you’re on the bridge.  Then I expect you to use Captain, understand?”  Wesley grinned.

“I can still observe on the bridge?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “You may.  If Commander Riker is impressed with your knowledge, we might even let you sits at Ops.  But it will have to be Commander Riker’s decision, not mine.  I can’t let the crew accuse me of nepotism.”

“What’s nepotism?”

“It means that I would give you a position just because you’re my son.”

“Oh.  But you wouldn’t do that.” 

“Of course I wouldn’t.  But we will maintain the proper channels to, erm....”

“Cover your butts?” Isabel grinned.

“Yes, thank you, Isabel.”

“Maman, can I still observe Sickbay?”  Beverly nodded. “I don’t see why not.  You’re only observing, which is the same offer I would give to any other student interested in medicine.” 

“Yay! Thank you Maman!”  Jean-Luc cleared his throat. “I suppose I should offer these same opportunities to the other teenagers to observe departments they’re interested in.”

“Marissa wants to go into astrophysics.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Maybe Marissa should be my daughter then,” he teased Isabel.  Isabel laughed and then stood up. “Come on, Wessy! Let’s move your stuff and let Maman and Papa have a _date_.”  Isabel wiggled her eyebrows at her parents. 

Jean-Luc shook his head. “Incorrigible. Clearly, you get that from your mother.”

“Hey!” 

“Tell me I’m wrong, my love.”  Beverly grumbled and Jean-Luc grinned.  “That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t stay out too late!  On the other hand, stay out as late as you want! Wessy and I can take care of ourselves.” 

“Our children, the matchmakers.  Go.  We’ll see you both later.”

“Or in the morning.  Wessy’s gonna sleep in his new room tonight, aren’t you?” Wesley nodded. “So that means Maman’s old quarters will be empty....”

 _“Isabel Yvette Picard!_ ” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things...sorry this is late and short. We've had a family emergency, and while I can't go into details (Since this is public), I will say that a member of my family is in hospital over 100 miles away and for the foreseeable future there will be lots of trips up and down the A1 leaving little time for writing. Not to mention, this has really shaken me and taken away some of my writing mojo. My muses are oddly silent. 
> 
> But, I wanted to post *something*. I'll probably extend this story a bit more as I think writing fluffy family stuff will be good for me as opposed to the angsty other stories I might be in the middle of...and due to what happened I need to rethink part of my Tangled Web series. 
> 
> *whew* long author's note.  
> ###

“Kids, before you go...Computer:  Authorise official name change Wesley Robert Picard-Crusher to Wesley Robert Picard.”

 _“Unable to comply.  Authorisation required from parent or guardian._ ”  Jean-Luc frowned.  Beverly squeezed his hand. “Computer: Amend record Wesley Robert Picard-Crusher. Mother: Beverly Picard, Father: Jean-Luc Picard. Authorisation Picard-Delta-Five-Two.”

 _“Confirmed.”_ Beverly smiled at Jean-Luc.  “Thank you.”

“Computer: Authorise official name change Wesley Robert Picard-Crusher to Wesley Robert Picard.”

_“Confirmed.”_

“Create access code for Wesley Picard to contact me without going through the switchboard and deliver this code to him.” 

_“Confirmed.”_

“ Change quarter assignments for Beverly Picard and Wesley Picard to cabin 8625.”

 _“Unable to comply.  Beverly Picard does not exist.”_ Beverly rolled her eyes. “Computer: Change my name to Beverly Picard.”

 _“Confirmed.”_   Jean-Luc sighed.  “This is getting complicated. Alright, change quarter assignments for Beverly Picard and Wesley Picard to cabin 8625 and duplicate existing codes from Cabin 8823. Continue access to Cabin 8823.”

_“Confirmed.”_

“Belle?  Do you want Maman added as your parent?”  Isabel nodded. “Computer: Amend records Isabel Yvette Picard . Father: Jean-Luc Picard. Mother: Beverly Picard . Authorisation Picard-Alpha-Tango-Three”

_“Confirmed.”_

Jean-Luc smiled at his children. “Go on.  Wes, you should be able to access our quarters using the same code you used in your previous quarters . We’ll see you both later.”

“Or tomorrow!”  Jean-Luc shook his head at his daughter. “Incorrigible.”

“Computer: Door!”  A door appeared near where the kissing gate was and Isabel tugged Wesley through the door. “Come on, Wessy. I’ll help you pack!”

“Those kids. Bev, we raised them well.”  Beverly grinned. “Do you notice how Wesley goes along with Isabel?”

“Oh yes, I’m fairly certain she gets that from her mother.”  Jean-Luc leaned over and gently kissed Beverly. 

“Hey, I’m not bossy.  I just...know what I want.” 

“Oh yeah, and what do you want right now?”

“You.” Beverly leaned over and started tugging at Jean-Luc’s shirt.

“Computer: re-seal door and remove food from gazebo. Keep blanket and wine.”

_“Confirmed.”_

###

“Wessy, just throw it all in your trunk to move it! We can sort it all in your room later.”  Wesley had his trunk open on his bed and he was carefully placing things inside it. 

“I don’t want anything to break.” Isabel shook her head.  “Wessy, you’re moving down the hall.  It’s not like your stuff has far to travel. Come _on_!”  Wesley grinned at his sister.  “You really _are_ impatient.  Are you _sure_ you’re a Picard?  Papa is so organised. I’m actually afraid I’ll make a mess and he’ll be mad.”

“Nah.  I make messes all the time.  Papa doesn’t care.  Well....he doesn’t care _too_ much.  He makes me clean my room once a week.”  Wesley laughed. “Ok, that sounds like Papa.”  Wesley threw the last of his things into his trunk.

“Should we pack Mom’s things for her?” 

“I guess we could pack up the living room for her.”  Isabel picked up a picture of Wesley with Jack Crusher.  “What do you want to do with this?”

“Uh, I don’t know.  I don’t really want it, but I guess Mom might?”  Isabel shrugged and put it down again. “He kinda _was_ your dad.” 

“I guess.  I mean, he was on his ship most of the time.   Mom said it was a mistake that she married him.  Maybe I should just get rid of this?”

“Keep it for now, I guess.”  Wesley nodded and added the picture to his trunk.  “Ok, I think that’s everything out of my room. Let’s go.”  He tipped his trunk onto its wheels. “Hey, do you think Mom and Papa will stay out all night?” 

###

Beverly laced her fingers through Jean-Luc’s and smiled.  They had moved from the gazebo to the bedroom in the cottage and she watched the afternoon sun filter through the curtains.  If she closed her eyes, she could almost believe they really were in La Barre, and not on a holodeck on their ship.  Jean-Luc turned his head and kissed her.  “I love you, Bev.”

“I love you too.” Jean-Luc tightened his arm around her.  “Our children gave us permission to be out all night, my love. What would you like to do?” 

“Shouldn’t that be the opposite way around?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Probably.” 

“We should go home.” 

“I like that.  ‘home’.”  Jean-Luc kissed her again. “Me too.  We could have family dinner together and do something the four of us?  Maybe start a family game night tradition?”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Isabel is _very_ competitive.” 

“So is Wes. We’d have to set rules. No one is allowed to get angry if they lose.” 

“Including the adults?”  Beverly laughed and tapped his nose. “Especially the adults....did all of our clothing make it inside?”

“I think so.  Oh, I have something for you.”  Jean-Luc rolled out of the bed and fumbled for his pocket. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.”  Jean-Luc pulled out a small pouch and walked over to the other side of the bed where she was and dropped to his knees on the floor.  “Beverly, my love, will you marry me?  Will you wear your ring again?” 

“Jean-Luc?  You...you kept it?”  Jean-Luc nodded and tipped open the small pouch onto the palm of his hand, revealing a beautiful ring in platinum.  It had been Beverly’s engagement ring and she remembered throwing it at him when she told him to get out.  She regretted it after, but she couldn’t find it when she searched her quarters.

“I picked it up....I was going to give it to Isabel when she turned sixteen, but I think we have a better use for it, don’t you?”

“I don’t know.  It _is_ used.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “I can get you a new ring if you’d like.” 

“New wedding bands, perhaps .  Aren’t you going to put it on me?” 

“You haven’t said yes yet.”  Beverly grinned at her ex-husband, now fiancé and rattled off ‘yes’ in about a half a dozen languages before she grabbed him and pulled him onto the bed in a passionate kiss.

###

Wesley and Isabel had emptied his old room, and managed to fill several crates with things from his and their mother’s living room before they called it quits.  Isabel had gone into their mother’s bedroom and packed up Beverly’s clothing and make-up and had moved that over to their quarters, too.  They left the crates stacked in the living room, and Wesley went to unpack his trunk while Isabel unpacked their mother’s clothing.  She thought it would be a nice surprise for their parents when they got back.  Of course, she didn’t know if their parents would like the way she arranged their clothing, but they could sort it out later. 

“Wessy, want to watch a holofilm tonight and eat junk food for dinner?”

“Can we do that?” Isabel grinned. “Sure!  Papa and Maman aren’t going to be home....” 

“Ooh, let’s replicate pizza!  And popcorn!  And candy floss and some of that fizzy drink from Axbaar....”

“I want some of those little green candies from Vulcan!”

“Do you know what they’re called?” Isabel shook her head. “Nope. But I bet if I ask the replicator for Vulcan candy, it will know.” 

“Ooh, what about those candies shaped like bears?” 

“I like how you’re thinking, bro.  Maybe we need something else savory....Oh, oh. Chips? Wings?” Wesley nodded.  “What’s your favourite dessert?”

“Fancies. Have you ever had one?” 

“No. What are they?” 

“They’re little bite sized cakes with cream covered in thick icing.” 

“Order some,”  Wesley paused for a minute. “Hey Issy, should we call Uncle Wally and tell him everything?” 

“Good idea!  Come here, we’ll use the big screen.  Computer: Initiate call to the _USS Horatio_.  Direct the call to Captain Walker Keel please.” 

_“USS Horatio switchboard.”_

“Captain Keel, please.”

_“Name?”_

“Isabel and Wesley Picard.” 

 _“Standby.”_ Isabel grinned at Wesley and waited until their Uncle’s face filled the screen. “ _Wes!_ Princesse _! Good to see you. How’s it going on the_ Enterprise?”

“Uncle Wally...we got our parents together.”  Walker’s mouth dropped.  Of course, he had known his friends were seeing each other, but he didn’t know they had admitted it to the children.

“ _Tell me everything.”_

“Uhm.  Did you ever read about the Psi200 virus?”

 _“On the original_ Enterprise?”  Isabel nodded. _“I think I read about it once. What does that have to do with anything?”_

“We got it, but it mutated. And....”

_“Your parents admitted their love for each other drunkenly?”_

“Not quite...more like Wessy and I yelled at our parents.  I was in Sickbay with Maman and Wessy was with Papa in Engineering.”

“I kicked a chair at Papa.”  Walker chuckled. _“Bet he loved that.”_

“He yelled at me in front of everyone and used my full name – my _real_ name.” 

_“Wow.”_

“Yeah.  So Issy and I yelled at them and they decided we should have a family talk after we were sober.”

_“How did that go?”_

“Mom and I moved in with Papa and Issy.”  Walker grinned.  _“Brilliant!”_ Isabel smugly smiled at her uncle.  “Uh-huh. And I think Maman and Papa are going to get married again.” 

_“Really?”_

“Well....Maman didn’t say no....”

 _“Suppose I better come up with a reason to bring the Horatio into your sector.  You know, just in case...”_ Isabel clapped her hands. “You can marry them!” 

 _“I could, yes.  As a Captain...but,_ Princesse, _they have to ask me.”_

“I’m sure they will.”

 _“Where are your parents right now?”_ Wesley shrugged. “Issy told them to go on a date.”  Walker laughed.  “You really are becoming quite bossy, young lady. Are you _sure_ you don’t want to go into Command?” 

Isabel shook her head. “Nope. Medicine.  Wessy can be the Captain, I’ll be his doctor.”

“Uh, thanks Sis.” 

_“I’m sorry to cut this short kids, but I have to go...and figure out a way to get into your sector. Hopefully, I’ll see you soon.”_

“Ok, Uncle Wally. I love you.”

 _“Love you too,_ Princesse. _And you, Wes.”_

“Yeah, I love you too.  But can we stop being so lovely dovey?  It’s killing me!”  Walker laughed. _“Sorry.  Goodnight, kids.  Keel out.”_

The screen went dark and Isabel headed towards the replicator to start replicating all their food. “Wes, I’ll get the food together, you pick the holofilm. Nothing with too much gorey stuff, though.  I’ll have nightmares.”

“Fine. But nothing with lots of kissing.”  Isabel laughed. “Plenty of that with Maman and Papa around I bet!  Nothing with Klingons as the bad guy. I don’t want to be afraid of Mister Worf.”

“You really are a wimp, sis.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!!”

“Am not!!”

“Are too....fine. You’re not.  But you’d really be afraid of Worf if we watch a film with the Klingons as bad guys?”  Isabel shrugged. “I dunno. But I don’t want to find out.  Hey, how about a cartoon?”

“Ugh, Issy, are we seven?  Mom and Papa aren’t here, we can watch whatever we want!”  Isabel shook her head. “Papa put parental controls on my access.” 

“I bet he didn’t think to do it to mine.....Computer: show me _The 900 foot Nausicaan_.”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “You know, Papa lost his heart in a fight with a Nausicaan. Maybe that’s not a good idea to watch.”

“Hmm. I forgot about that. Computer: Display titles of films with Orions in them.”  Isabel carried over a bowl of popcorn and glanced at the screen. “Uhm, why are they all about Orion slave girls? And have about a million Xes in the rating?”  Wesley blushed. “Uhhh...Maybe....maybe not then.”

“But what is it?” Wesley glanced over at his sister. “You really want me to tell you?”  Isabel nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“It’s porn, Issy. People having sex so that other people can watch.”

“Ewww!!! That’s gross!  Why would anyone agree to do that?”  Wesley shrugged. “I dunno.” 

“Wesley...have you...ever watched any?”  Wesley blushed. “Uhmm....”  

“EW! Gross! When?” 

“Remember when we went to visit Tante Marie and Oncle Robert and you got sick?”

“Ugh.  Yeah.” 

“Oncle Robert introduced me to the son of one of his friends so I’d have someone to hang out with.  He was older than us though and he wanted to watch.  It didn’t....I mean, I didn’t....Ugh, Issy, I don’t want to talk to my sister about it, okay?”

“But you don’t watch it now, right?”  Wesley looked at his feet. “ _Wesley Robert Picard!_ Papa will kill you if he ever finds out.”

“And that’s why, dear sister, you’re _not going to tell him_.” 

“Doesn’t matter. He’ll remember to put parental controls on your access.”  Wesley raised his eyebrows at his sister. “You think that will stop me?  Issy, I can disable his block on your account in two minutes.”  

“Show me.”

“Why?”

“Well....I might want to...see what all the fuss is about....alone, mind you.  Not...not with my brother.  Because ew. That would be gross.”  Wesley coloured. “I’ll remove it, but I don’t want to know what you watch in the privacy of your own room and I won’t tell you what I watch in mine. Deal?”

“Deal. “  Isabel went back over to the replicator and replicated more snacks. “Hey, want some hot chocolate?”

“Sure.”

“Counsellor Troi programmed fifty different kinds into the replicator.  I’m determined to try them all.”

“Wow. She must really like chocolate.”  Isabel grinned.  “Well, sometimes a girl needs her chocolate....”  Wesley stuck his fingers in his ear. “LALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”

“Oh, honestly, Wessy.”  Wesley continued to scroll through the entertainment options.  Some of the films required a holodeck as they were immersive, and some were old fashioned 2D and early 3D films from the twentieth and twenty-first century on Earth.  Wesley scrolled past the films that weren’t translated into standard. He didn’t want to read the film.  “Just pick something already!”

“I can’t believe how many films we have on our server. Where did they all come from?”  Isabel shrugged. “I dunno. I guess people added their favourites and it just grew...the ship _does_ have over 1000 people on it.”

“True.  Hey, what about _Little Red_?”

“What’s that about?”

“Red Riding Hood. But not on Earth, and not with a wolf.”

“Uh....sure.”  Isabel gathered the last of the food they wanted and settled down on the sofa with Wesley. “Computer: Dim lighting to 20%.” 

###

“When do you want to get married?”

“Now?”  Beverly reached behind for her pillow and hit Jean-Luc with it. “Don’t be silly.”

“Well, then...as soon as possible.  As soon as we are in range of another ship to ask that Captain to marry us.  What do you think?”

“I think I hope we meet another ship soon.”  Beverly stretched out on the bed. “Weren’t we going home to spend the evening with our children?”  Jean-Luc straddled her hips and leaned down to kiss her. “We _were_ , but someone is insatiable.” 

Beverly giggled. “I don’t possibly know what you mean.”  She thrust her hips up against his and he groaned. “ _Beverly._ We’ll never make it home at this rate.”

“Hmm. I suppose it _would_ be nice to spend time with the children.  Plus, I still have to move everything.”  Jean-Luc reluctantly climbed off her.  “You know, we programmed the bathroom. We could go take a shower first.” 

“Mm, you read my mind.” 

Beverly was surprised when she entered their quarters and discovered the lights were dim.  She glanced at the sofa and saw her children were curled up watching a holofilm with an entire coffee table filled with junk food.  She raised her finger to her lips and motioned to Jean-Luc to follow her.  The two crept close to the teenagers and Jean-Luc suddenly barked. “Lights, one hundred percent.”

Both teenagers screamed and Isabel jumped, knocking the popcorn down.  “Papa!  Maman!  What are you doing home?”

Beverly eyed the table full of junk food. “I think the question is, what are you two eating?”

“Dinner?”  Wes supplied with a grin on his face. “Nice try.  Is there anything not made of sugar on this table?”

“Uhh....popcorn?”   Beverly shook her head as Jean-Luc reached for a piece of pizza. “What? I’m hungry!”  Beverly pursed her lips.  “Right kids. I think Papa and I need to set some rules with you two.  Rule number one:  No Junk food before dinner.”  Jean-Luc thoughtfully chewed his piece of pizza before adding one of his own. “And no adult rated films without our permission!  How did you even get access to this?”

“I...ah....it was just there when I looked?”  Jean-Luc looked over at Beverly and raised his eyebrows at her.  “I set parental controls on Isabel’s account.”  Beverly’s eyes went wide. “I knew there was something I forgot to do.” 

“Computer: End film.  Restrict access Wesley Picard. No entertainment rated higher than A16 without parental consent.”

_“Confirmed.”_

“Aw, but Papa!”  Jean-Luc shook his head. “Don’t ‘but Papa’ me, young man.  You knew the rating of that film. And Isabel...you should know better.  You know you’re not allowed to watch holofilms rated A18!”  Isabel hung her head. “Sorry, Papa.” 

Jean-Luc sighed.  “We’re going to have to punish you.”  He looked over to Beverly.  “What do you think, my love?” 

“Hmm.  In our quarters every night by eighteen hundred.  No activities other than school for a week.”  Wesley frowned. 

“What about my Bridge observation shift?” Beverly pursed her lips and glanced over at Jean-Luc.   They had a silent conversation with their eyes before Jean-Luc spoke. “We’ll consider those and Isabel’s observation in Sickbay as part of your education.” Jean-Luc eyed the collection of junk food spread across the table. “Right. Let’s get rid of all this and have a proper family dinner.  Your mother and I need to move her belongings before we get some sleep.”

“No you don’t!”  Isabel grinned.  “We moved over Maman’s things for her. Well, most of them.” Isabel pointed to a corner where a few crates were stacked.  “I even put her clothes in your room.”  Beverly beamed at her daughter. “Thank you, Belle.”

“Papa?  I don’t think I’m hungry. Do we have to eat dinner?”  Jean-Luc rolled his eyes.  “Well, I’m not going to force you to eat.  Wes, are you hungry?” Wesley shook his head. “Not really.  We ate pizza and chicken wings...and popcorn....and a lot of candy.”

“Well, we wanted to have our first family dinner together tonight.”  Beverly frowned.  “I’m sorry, Maman.  But now you and Papa can go on your date!”  Isabel grinned at her parents. 

“And leave you two alone again?” 

“We’ll behave. Won’t we, Wessy?” 

“Uh...yeah. “ 

Beverly sighed and glanced over at Jean-Luc. “Well, you and I _do_ have to eat something tonight.”  Jean-Luc sheepishly grinned around his second slice of pizza.  “Er, right.”

“Honesly, Jean-Luc. Do I have two teenagers or three?” 

“Sorry, my love.  Would you like to go out and leave these two troublemakers to their own devices?”  Beverly arched an eyebrow.  “You two may watch a holofilm appropriately rated and then I expect you both to go to bed at a decent hour. We _will_ be eating breakfast together as a family at 0700 tomorrow.”

“Yes, Maman.”

“Yes, Mom.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of a Beverly & Jean-Luc centered chapter here. Sorry for the shorter chapters, but there's a lot going on right now, and I'd rather publish shorter chapters when I can over waiting longer to update you all. 
> 
> Long story short - we have a very ill family member and have been spending most of our free time travelling back and forth from the hospital 120 miles away to visit them, so I haven't had much time (or motivation) to write.

Jean-Luc and Beverly had a pleasant dinner together in the Captain’s dining room.  Jean-Luc looked around the room. “Never thought I would be using this room to have dinner with you, my love.”

“No?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  “I never dreamed that we would get back together. Beverly, love, you  have made me the happiest man in the quadrant.” Beverly grinned.

“Hmm. I think we should have the reception in here.”  Jean-Luc shot Bevely a puzzled look. “Reception?  For who?  We’re not due to pick up any diplomats for several months.”

“ _Our_ reception.  Our _wedding_ reception.”

“Do you want all that this time around?”  Jean-Luc reached across the table and squeezed Beverly’s hand.  She nodded.  “I do.  Our first wedding was....”

“Rushed?”  Beverly blushed. “That’s one word for it.  One minute you and I were dating, and the next we were getting married....and thirteen months later it was over.” 

“But it was the best thirteen months of my life so far.  But this time...let’s aim for a little longer than thirteen months.” 

“Forever?” 

“Forever.”

“I think we should call Walker.”  Jean-Luc let out a chuckle. “Suppose he’ll be relieved.  He won’t have to ferry information about the children to each of us anymore, and he won’t have to keep the twin’s secret...which reminds me,  I never knew my brother could be so deceptive to keep his knowledge of Wesley and Isabel knowing each other from me.”  Beverly grinned.  “Ah,  I’m sure Marie helped to convince him.  You Picard men are so....pliable.”  Beverly tossed her red hair over her shoulder and Jean-Luc’s eyes glazed over. “See what I mean?  You and your brother both.  Just a simple toss of our heads and you’ll do anything for us, won’t you?”

“Errr...”

“Hmm .  I wonder if Wesley has inherited the same Picard tastes for redheads?”

“That would be a bit odd for him though, wouldn’t it?  Dating someone who had the same hair colour as his sister?” 

“You and Robert married woman with the same colour hair as your mother,”  Beverly was quick to point out.

“ _Touché,_ my love.”  Jean-Luc brought his serviette to his mouth and gently wiped it before reaching for his wine glass.  “Refill?” Beverly nodded and watched Jean-Luc empty the bottle he had carried into the dining room with him. 

“Best not make a habit of this.” 

“Dinner together or the wine?”  Beverly shook her head. “The wine.  I hope we eat dinner together every night. It would be nice to eat as a family as well....”

“Hm, I will want some time alone with my wife. And the children might want to go out with their friends occasionally.  I propose family dinner three times per week, and you and I eat together at least once per week alone.”

“That’s only four days.  A week has seven.” 

“Well, I’m allowing for us to have other arrangements.  Working late or needing to meet with someone.  If we have a dignitary on board I daresay we’d both be attending the state dinner.”  Beverly nodded.  “But maybe we should aim for dinner together every night.”

“Of course, my love.”  They finished their wine and both rose from the table.  “Shall we see what our devilish twins are up to now?”

“They better be in bed if they know what’s good for them.”  Jean-Luc chuckled.  “Do you really think they will be?  Their first night sharing quarters?”  Beverly shook her head.  “No.  I expect they’ll both be in one bedroom giggling like mad together.” 

“Should we just give them one room to share?” 

“Oh no.  A teenage girl...and probably a teenage boy...need their own space.  But perhaps we could give them a door between their rooms they could leave open.”

“The bathroom is between their rooms.” 

“hm...then doors on either side of the bathroom. They could use it like a corridor.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “I’ll get engineering on it in the morning.  That’s a good idea.”  He leaned over and kissed her.  “When should we tell the staff we’re together? And when should we get married?”

“I was serious when I said as soon as possible.  Let me speak to your-“

“our.”

“No, he’s still your chef. You’re the Captain, not me.  Let me ask him how long it would take for him to make us a wedding cake and a banquet and then we’ll decide when.   Plus, we need Walker here.”  Jean-Luc was thoughtful for a moment. “You know, Walker could marry us.”  Beverly clapped her hands.

“That’s an excellent idea! What about Robert and Marie?”

“Robert hasn’t been off world since the twins were born and he came to meet them...I  suppose we can ask them.  You can meet Rene, their son. He’s about...two? three? I can’t remember.”  Beverly slipped her hand into his as they walked out of the dining room. 

“Do you want another baby?” 

“I...ah...never really thought about it, my love.  Do you want another baby?” 

“Yes and no.  My only concern is if we have a baby together and we raise him or her together, it might make Isabel and Wesley  jealous or upset since they were raised apart.”   Jean-Luc frowned.  “I take your point.  Well, I suppose that’s something to bring up with them. We’ll cross that when we get to it.” 

Beverly’s only response was a squeeze of his hand.

###

True to their thoughts, Wesley and Isabel were  both in Isabel’s room when they arrived home.  They were sitting cross legged on the floor of Isabel’s room with a three-dimensional chess board in between them. 

“Who’s winning?”  Jean-Luc enquired as he stuck his head in the door.

“I am, Papa!”  Isabel grinned.  “That’s my girl.” Wesley frowned. “Papa, can you help me?” 

“ _Princesse,_ do you mind?”  Isabel shook her head and laughed. “Wessy needs all the help he can get!”  Wesley scowled. 

“ _Wesley_....stop being a sore loser.” 

“Sorry, Mom.  But it’s not fair! Isabel is so much better than me at chess!” Isabel stuck out her tongue.  “Papa taught me!”

“See?  It’s not fair.  Papa should have taught me, too!”  Jean-Luc frowned and took a seat on the floor next to Wesley.  “Wes, my boy....I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t teach you and that I wasn’t around.  But how about I coach you tonight, and then tomorrow night I can start teaching you my strategy?”  Wesley grinned. “Can you teach me how to beat Issy?” 

“Quite possibly.” 

“Hey! That’s not fair!”  Jean-Luc flashed a grin at his daughter. “Life is not always fair, _Princesse._ ” 

Beverly grinned at the interaction between the twins and their father.  Isabel looked up and saw the ring on their mother’s finger.  Her eyes lit up. “Maman! Papa! Are you getting married?”  Beverly nodded.  Isabel jumped up and knocked over the chess board in her haste to go embrace her mother.

“Hey! I might have won that!” 

“No, you wouldn’t have!”  Isabel threw her arms around her mother. “Oh Maman!  I’m so happy! Wessy, Maman and Papa are going to get married!”

“Yeah?”  Wesley looked over at his father who grinned back at him and ruffled his hair. “Yeah.” 

“Wicked.” 

“When? When? Tomorrow?” 

“Slow down, Issy.  We need to get in range of a ship first to ask that Captain...and we’d like to have your aunt and uncle here.  Walker too.”  Isabel grinned at her brother, who grinned back. 

“Why are you two grinning like the cat who ate the canary?”

“Uncle Wally is on his way here.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at Isabel. “He is, is he? And why would that be, _Princesse?”_

“Uhm....Wessy and I....kinda...called him and told him you were back together.” 

“I see. And have you called your aunt and uncle?”

“No...”

“Well, at least you left us _someone_ to tell. Have you told anyone else on the ship?”  Isabel shook her head, but Wesley looked at the floor.

“Wes?”

“I ah, told Data.” 

“I see. Well, I think we can trust his discretion. Thank you for your honesty, Wes.  Now, I think it’s time for you two to clean up your game and go to bed.”

“Issy knocked it down. She should clean it up.  Besides, we’re in _her_ room.”  Beverly rolled her eyes at her son.  “Were you playing the game with her?”  Wesley nodded. “Then help your sister clean it up.” 

###

 _“Jean-Luc. Good to see you.  How is the new ship? How’s our_ Princesse? _Breaking boys hearts already?_ ”  Jean-Luc chuckled at the image of his brother.  “I hope not.  Everything is...wonderful, Robert.  How’s Marie and that nephew of mine? Getting into mischief yet?”  Robert’s eyes twinkled.

_“Ah, well..you know two-year-olds.  He’s....a handful, but wonderful.”_

“Glad to hear it, Robert. Listen, I have something to tell you...”  Beverly wandered into the field of the camera and rested a hand on Jean-Luc’s shoulder.  Her _left_ hand.

 _“Beverly?  So good to see you, my dear.  How’s my boy, Wesley doing?”_ Beverly laughed. “Ask him yourself.  I understand you met him again a few years ago?”

Jean-Luc could see his brother start to blush and he rubbed the back of his neck in typical Picard fashion. “ _Well...I....ahh...you see....Isabel and Wesley...”_

“And Walker!”  Beverly interjected.

 _“And Walker asked Marie and I to keep their secret from you and Jean-Luc.  I’m sorry,_ mon frère et ma belle-soeur.” Beverly smiled at the term of endearment.  “It’s been a long time, Robert.  I’m sorry.” 

Robert held out his hands in front of his monitor.  “C’est la vie, Beverly.”  Beverly and Jean-Luc watched Marie enter the room to bring a cup of tea to her husband, and to say hello to her brother-in-law. Marie gasped when she saw not only  Beverly, but the ring adorning her finger.  She couldn’t believe Robert hadn’t noticed the old family heirloom. _“Beverly?”_

Beverly grinned. “Marie!  How I’ve missed you.  Thank you for keeping my daughter and son in line these past few years.  I understand congratulations are in order? How is little Rene?”

 _“He’s napping right now, but he’s perfect.  Much like I expect you felt Wesley was. I know Jean-Luc thought Isabel could do no wrong.”_ Beverly snorted. “Still does.” 

“Hey!”  Beverly leaned down and kissed Jean-Luc and Robert spit out his tea at the action.  “It’s fine, love.  It’s what all doting fathers do.” 

 _“I take it by that show of affection you two are....”_ Jean-Luc nodded at his brother.  “Reconciled....and getting married again.”  Marie’s eyes lit up and Robert grinned.  “ _Congratulations.  When? More importantly...where?_ ” 

“Well.....”  Jean-Luc rubbed the back of his neck nervously and Beverly got an idea.

“Actually, Robert, Marie.  We were hoping we could get married in La Barre?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at Beverly and turned his head.  “Really? You want to get married in my home?”

“Our home.  Our first home was La Barre.”  Jean-Luc smiled. “The gazebo?”  Beverly nodded. 

On screen, Robert’s grin got even bigger.  “ _Of course you can.”_

 _“I shall make you a_ gateau _!”_ Beverly’s eyes went wide with shock.

“Oh, Marie. That’s not necessary...we can handle it...”

 _“Nonsense.  We will host your reception here at the vineyard,_ non?” 

“That’s very kind of you, Marie.  Thank you.” 

“ _So, when is this to take place?”_ Jean-Luc cleared his throat and reached for Beverly’s hand.  “Beverly and I would like to get married as soon as we can.  I suppose now it will be just as soon as we can arrange for the leave.  We can take the yacht with the children and be in La Barre in about a week.” 

 _“Do you need me to do anything for you, Beverly?”_ Beverly shook her head at her sister-in-law.  “No, Marie.  Please.  I’ll handle everything on this end.  But...will you be my  bridesmaid again?” 

“Absolument!  _But don’t you want to have Isabel?”_ Beverly nodded. “Oh, yes. Indeed. We plan on having both Isabel and Wesley stand up with us.  But I’d like you to be there too.” 

“And Robert? I’d be honoured if you stood by my side.” 

_“Jean-Luc, what about Walker?”_

“Ah, we plan on asking Walker to perform the ceremony.” Robert laughed. “ _If you think that’s wise, brother.  Yes, I would be honoured to stand with you and Beverly. I take it this time....”_

 _“_ It’s for keeps, Robert.  The first time...well, I don’t think Jean-Luc or I were really prepared for everything and then to be hit with so much at one time....”Beverly trailed off and Robert softly smiled at her.   _“I understand.  We look forward to seeing you both and to see the children.”_

Jean-Luc spoke up. “ _I’ll let you know our estimated day of arrival as soon as I know.  Picard out_.”  The screen went blank and  in the farmhouse in La Barre, Marie let out a very un-Marie-like squeal of excitement. “Oh, Robert!  The children did it!  They got their parents together!  I’m so happy!”  Robert chuckled at his wife.  “I can’t wait to hear the full story.” 

Beverly wanted Jean-Luc to play a prank on their best friend when he called him, so she hovered just out of the range of the camera when Jean-Luc placed the call to the _Horatio_.  Walker’s face soon filled the screen.

“ _Jean-Luc!  I haven’t heard from you since the launch of the_ Enterprise _.  How is she treating you?”_

“Quite well, Walker.  I must admit, it’s good to be back in space again.” 

 _“But you’ve been in and out of space for the past ten years?”_ Jean-Luc nodded. “I know, but this one is under my command.”  He grinned at his friend and Walker grinned back.  They both had been waiting for the day when they both would be Starship captains together. Walker had been Jean-Luc’s first officer for many years before being sent back to Starfleet Academy to teach and he had only been given his ship a few years ago.

“ _How’s my favourite niece?”_

“Your niece and _nephew_ are both doing well.  They’re settling in to their studies and both are doing internships as well.  Isabel is shadowing the doctors in Sickbay and Wesley is observing on the bridge.”  Walker’s face turned sheepish. _“So, you, ah, know that I knew?”_

“Yes. Walker, how could you keep that information from me...from Beverly?” 

 _“Well....that is...the twins were afraid you and Beverly would separate them and not allow them to contact each other.”_ Jean-Luc levelled a look directly into his camera.  “Walker.  Do you really think that I, or Beverly for that matter,  would be so cruel to our own children?”

_“Wellllll.....”_

“Walker.”

“ _I wasn’t sure, alright Johnny? I knew you and Beverly had your ‘agreement’ to keep the twins separated until they were older...”_

“I see.  Well, now that they’ve told us they know everything, we have no intention on keeping them apart.”  Walker grinned. _“Glad to hear it, Johnny.”_

“Oh, I wanted to ask you...how soon can you take a short shore leave back to Earth?”

_“Uh...anytime, why?”_

“Well, I was wondering if you would like to meet me in La Barre with the children and perform my marriage ceremony.”  A huge grin stretched across Walker’s face.  _“Who’s the lucky lady?”_   Walker, of course, already knew it was going to be Beverly, but he wanted to give his friend the chance to think he was surprising him. 

“Oh, a lovely lady I’ve met in Stellar Cartography.”  Walker’s face fell. “ _St....Stellar Cartography?”_ Jean-Luc nodded.  “Yep.  You’ll love her, Walker.  Isabel and Wesley can’t wait to have a step-mother.”

_“What about Beverly?”_

“What about her?  We got divorced fifteen years ago.” 

 _“Well, I know....but....I thought....the twins said....”_ Walker watched as a sly grin spread across Jean-Luc’s face and Beverly came into view.  “Of course Beverly and I are getting married.  I wouldn’t dream of marrying anyone other than the woman I never stopped loving  for over fifteen years.”

 _“Good one, Johnny. Really fooled me.”_ Beverly flashed a grin at her friend.  “You deserved that after keeping a secret from us for over two years!  But seriously, Wally.  Will you marry us?”

_“Of course, Bev. But why La Barre? Why not on the holodeck?  We could make La Barre...”_

“I know, but I want it to be on solid ground this time.”

 _“I see. Well, of course I’ll be there.  Let me just make the arrangements and I’ll meet you at the vineyard in...about a week?”_ Beverly nodded. _“Keel out.”_ The screen faded and Beverly dissolved into giggles as Jean-Luc circled his arms around her waist.  “You really do have an evil streak, you know that?”

“Mmm, it’s why you love me.”  Jean-Luc pulled her close against him and kissed her neck. “It’s not the only reason.” 

“Let’s go to bed...in our bedroom.” 

“I like the way that sounds .” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!

Jean-Luc carried two cups of tea over to the sofa and grinned. He still found it hard to believe he and Beverly had been remarried now for three months. Beverly was sprawled across the cushions with the latest medical journal in her lap. Jean-Luc placed the cups down before settling on the other end, pulling her feet into his lap. She wiggled her toes and he wrapped his hands around her foot, pressing gently. Beverly laughed. "That tickles!"  
  
"Do you want me to stop?"  
  
"No. It feels good..." she let out a low moan that almost sounded sexual.   
  
"Beverly?"  
  
"Don't stop. Just...yeah, right there. Oh God, yes."  
  
"Beverly, are you...?"  
  
"Yes.....is that a problem?"  
  
"No, not at all,” Jean-Luc’s voice dropped to a low, throaty growl, “I just hoped you might let me pleasure you in other ways..."   
  
"Please do."

Over on the opposite sofa, Isabel exchanged a look with her brother. “Gross. I hope Maman doesn’t get loud again.”   Wesley shuddered.

“I have absolutely no intentions on finding out.  Wanna go to Ten Forward for some snacks?”

“And brain bleach. I need brain bleach.”   Wesley rose from the sofa and placed his homework on the table before leaving to put on his shoes by the door. Over his shoulder he said, “I mean, I know where we came from, but I don’t want to _know_.”  Isabel grinned at her brother and followed him to the door.  “Right behind you, bro.”

Beverly smirked at her husband.  "We've traumatized our children."

"Yes, but we have our quarters to ourselves. Want to see if I can make you scream?" Jean-Luc nipped at her throat as he leaned over her.

 "Hm. Yes."  Jean-Luc grinned against her throat and slowly rose and took her hands in his. “Where are you going?”

“Bedroom?”

“Why?  The twins won’t be back for hours.”

“You sure?”

“They went to Ten F.  They’ll find some of their friends to hang out with, I’m sure of it.  Computer: Deliver the following message to Isabel Picard and Wesley Picard. ‘Kids, feel free to go play on the holodeck with your friends tonight.  We added credit to your accounts.’.  Computer, add...twenty-five credits each to Isabel Picard and Wesley Picard’s holodeck account. Authorisation....” She looked over at her husband.

 “Picard-gamma- delta-one.” 

“ _Affirmative_.” Beverly grinned. “There, you see? Now they won’t be home for hours.”

“Mm, I do like the way your mind works.”  Jean-Luc lowered himself onto Beverly and kissed her deeply while she busied herself with the zip on the front of his jumpsuit.

###

“Hey, Wessy, did you see this?  Maman and Papa gave us holodeck credit.”  Wesley raised his eyebrows at his sister and checked his own PADD. “Wow, cool. Wonder why?”

Isabel smacked her brother on his arm. “Duhhh. Maman and Papa want to be _alone_.” 

“Issy, that’s gross.” 

“You know they’re gonna do it on the couch.”  Wesley covered his ears. “LA LA LA I can’t hear you!”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “I hope they remember to set the servobot.”  Isabel motioned for the server in the lounge to come over.  “What can I get you?”

“Can I have a strawberry milkshake?  And uh...my brother wants a chocolate one.” 

“Sure thing, darling.” Isabel giggled as the server winked and walked away.  Wesley grunted. “Bet he’d poop himself if he knew who our dad was.” 

“Naah, Papa said he’d let me date....”  Wesley raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Welll...ok, he didn’t actually say that, but he did say that he would let me go out in a group?” 

“Yeah, but we do that all the time.”

“Maybe you could....go over to the other side of the lounge? Just for a minute?”

“Hahaha no.  Papa would kill me.  Besides, I don’t like him.” 

“Why not?”

“He called you darling. And he winked!”  Wesley glared at the back of the server.  “Yeah. It’s cos he likes me, idiot.” 

“Well....I don’t like him.”

“ _You_ don’t have to.  But I do.”  Isabel smugly smiled at her  brother.  “Now go.  Come on, Please?” 

“Fine.  But I’m coming back in five minutes for my milkshake.”

###

Beverly wasted no time in removing their clothing and she sat up with a smirk on her face.  “You know what I’ve always wanted to do ever since I walked into our quarters?” Jean-Luc pressed a kiss against her lips. “No, what?”

“I’ve always wanted to make love up against that long window over there, watching the stars go by.”  Jean-Luc’s mouth went dry.  “Uhm...really?” 

She nodded and stood up, taking his hand and walking over to the large clear aluminium window.  Beverly’s naked body was reflected in the glass and Jean-Luc groaned.  “Beverly....have I told you lately how beautiful you are?”

“You’re just saying that because I’m the mother of your children.”  Jean-Luc came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. He leaned forward and nipped at the back of her neck.  “You’re so much more than my children’s mother.  You’re the only one I want.  Ever.”  Beverly grinned and turned in his arms so she could give him a kiss before presenting her back to him once again.

“I know it’s been a while....but I believe, I used to put my hands....like this?”  Beverly laid her palms flat against the window.  “And I think my hips....go like this?” She moved her feet a shoulders width apart and tilted her hips towards him.  Jean-Luc groaned and ran his hands down her sides, tweaking her nipples along the way.  Beverly gasped when she felt Jean-Luc’s fingers gently guide his penis into her and she pushed back.  The love making that ensued was fast and furious.  Beverly came with a shudder as a scream ripped from her throat and Jean-Luc wasn’t far behind.  He gently withdrew and turned her in his arms and pressed her back against the cool aluminium before kissing her soundly. 

“I love you, Mrs Picard.”  Beverly nibbled on his lips and dragged her fingernails down his back before replying. “I love you too.  That was...” 

“ _Incroyable_.”  Beverly nodded.  “I liked...watching both of our faces....together.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Me too, but I much prefer looking into your eyes than watching your reflection.”  He kissed her again and moved his hand from her hip and Beverly’s legs buckled a bit.  “You alright?” 

“Mm.  Just a little...”  Jean-Luc gently lifted her in his arms and deposited her back on the sofa.  He slipped under her and tugged an afghan made by his mother over their naked bodies.  He kissed her temple and ordered the lights to dim in their quarters before they both drifted off to sleep together.

###

Isabel and Wesley tiptoed back into their quarters, shoes in their hands, well past their curfew.  “I hope Mom and Papa are in bed and not waiting for us,” Wesley whispered to his sister.  She held a finger to her lips.  “Shh, I can hear snoring. Papa’s asleep.” 

The two crept into the living space and Isabel gasped, stopping in her tracks so Wesley walked into her. “What?”  Isabel raised a finger and pointed. “Uhh...”

“Oh geez.”  Wesley took in the scattered clothing and then his eyes fell on his parents sleeping on the sofa.  They were covered with one of Nana Picard’s blankets but he could tell they were naked under there.  “Yuck.”  Isabel grinned at her brother. “Well, we wanted them together....”

“Yeah, but....I didn’t want to _see_ it.”  Wesley glanced over at the window.  “Uh....Issy, why are there hand prints all over the window?” 

Isabel laughed. “You tell me. You’re the one who said he watched porn!”  Wesley’s face coloured as the implication of what his parents did sunk in.  “Uh....I’m going to bed now.  Hopefully they won’t be out here when I wake up.”  Wesley retreated to his room and after the door slid shut, Isabel approached their parents.  “Papa....Maman...” she whispered.  Jean-Luc’s eyes fluttered open. 

“ _Princesse,”_ He looked down at his and Beverly’s bodies and blushed.  “What time is it?” 

“Uhm.....late?”  Jean-Luc cocked an eyebrow at his daughter. “Were you and Wes out past curfew?” 

“Maaaaybe.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “Well, I’m in no condition to get up right now, but we’ll talk about this in the morning.  Go to bed.” 

“Yes, Papa.”  Jean-Luc watched until Isabel’s door slid shut, then noticed the smile that had spread across Beverly’s face.  She let out a laugh.  “Now we’ve really traumatised the kids.” 

“Well, they wanted us to get back together....can’t fault us.  But come, let’s go to bed. Briefing is at 0800 tomorrow.”  Beverly groaned. “You’re Captain, can’t you make it later?”  Jean-Luc shook his head.  “If I moved the meeting every time we went to bed late....”

“Point taken.”  Beverly stood and stretched.  She gathered their clothing before heading to the bedroom and Jean-Luc took a moment to admire her naked form. “Don’t forget to set the servobot to clean the living room while we sleep.” 

###

The children avoided their parent’s eyes in the morning as they sat at the breakfast table.  Wesley had chosen a cereal that made crackling noises when you added milk, and Isabel was laughing as she bit into a croissant.  Jean-Luc’s eyes met Beverly’s across the table and he cleared his throat to get the twin’s attention.

“I understand you both were out past your curfew last night....”

“Ugh, Papa. Really? You and Mom were having sex on the couch. Did you really want us home for that?”

“ _Wesley._ You and your sister have a curfew for a reason.  Now...I’m not going to apologize for showing your mother how much I love her, but I am going to apologize that you two came home and found us....”

“Doing the beast with two backs?” 

“ _Wesley Picard! That’s enough!_ ”  Wesley grinned sheepishly at his father. “Sorry, Papa.”

“Yes, well.  I think a suitable punishment for you two tonight is in order.  After lessons and your internships, you both will report directly to our quarters. No Ten Forward tonight.” 

“Aww, but Papa!”  Isabel frowned.  She had been hoping to see the young man serving in the lounge again.  She didn’t know his name, but she was determined to find out. 

“No ‘but Papa’.  You knew what time Curfew was.”  Isabel pouted and Wesley laughed.  “Issy’s just mad because she has a crush on the server.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his daughter. “You do, do you?” 

Isabel blushed. “Uhh....Maman, can I talk to you?”

“Course you can, sweetheart.  Jean-Luc?”  Beverly inclined her head to her husband. “What?  Oh, yes.  We’re done.”  Beverly rose from the table and kissed Jean-Luc’s cheek before whispering in his ear. “Our baby girl is fifteen.  She was bound to have a crush eventually.”  Jean-Luc groaned to himself as his wife and daughter retreated into Isabel’s room.  He turned back to Wesley. “I suppose you’re interested in someone, too?”

“Uh...No....I...ah...well....kinda?”  Wesley squeaked out.  Jean-Luc reached over and patted Wesley’s shoulder. “Well, if you want to talk about it...you come to me, alright?”  Wesley nodded as a blush coloured his cheeks and he went back to his cereal.

In Isabel’s room,  Beverly took the seat at Isabel’s new vanity while Isabel sat on her bed.  “Issy, sweetheart, what did you want to talk to me about?” 

“Maman....what was it like when you met Papa?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean....did you get a funny feeling....here?”  Isabel gestured to her stomach.  “You mean like butterflies?”  Isabel nodded.

“Your father and I...Yes, we were attracted to each other when we first met.  Uncle Wally was my mentor at the Academy, and he invited me out for an evening with his friends. Your father and Jack Crusher were there.  Jean-Luc and I....” 

###

_“Beverly Howard, I would like to introduce you to my best friend, Jean-Luc Picard. Johnny, this is Bev, the girl I told you about.”  The sandy haired man slowly raised his eyes and he was taken in quickly by the younger woman’s blue eyes and fiery hair. “H...hello.”  Jean-Luc held out a hand and she shook it gently._

_“Aw, Come on Johnny, that’s not how you greet a lady!  Hi, I’m Jack.”  Jack took her hand and raised it to her lips and she laughed, but her eyes remained connected to the steely hazel eyes of Jean-Luc Picard._

_“And you’re serving on the_ Stargazer?”  _Jean-Luc nodded. “My second assignment.  I, ah, had an accident just after graduation a few years ago and it slowed me down a little.”_

_“He got stabbed.”_

_“Jack!”_

_“It’s not like you wouldn’t have told her eventually.” Jack reached out and tapped Jean-Luc’s chest.  “He has an artificial heart now.” Beverly gasped.  “You...you do?”  Jean-Luc nodded and looked at the floor. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t my best moment, I have to admit.”_

_“Aw, yeah, but you didn’t know the Nausicaan had a knife, Johnny. Don’t beat yourself up.”_

_“You were in a fight with a_ Nausiccan _?”_

_“Yeah.  It’s a...long story.”  Beverly smiled. “I have time.”  Jean-Luc smiled back.  “Can I get you a drink?  There’s a table over there where we can talk quietly?”  Beverly nodded. “White wine, please.”  Beverly headed over for the small table in the corner Jean-Luc had indicated as he headed to the  bar with a grin on his face._

###

“Uhh...Maman?”  Beverly was brought out of her daze by her daughter. “Hmm? Sorry, Issy. I got lost in my memories for a minute there.  You know, it took your father and I four years before we even started dating?  Between my studies and his assignment we found it hard to keep in touch.  And then I was able to get an assignment on the _Stargazer_ and we started dating, finally....then I became pregnant with you and your brother and...”

“You and Papa got married, had a fight, and then didn’t speak for thirteen years.”  Beverly softly smiled.  “Something like that.”  Beverly eyed her daughter. 

“If you really like this boy, try and spend some time with him. Get to know him before you...look, I know you’ll be sixteen soon.  When you come in this afternoon we’ll get you fitted with birth control, just in case. But, uhm...don’t tell Papa.  I’ll have to break the news to him gently.”

Isabel grinned. “I don’t think I want to have sex yet, Maman.”

“Good to know. But I want you to be prepared just in case.”

“Thanks, Maman.  I’m glad you’re in my life now.”  Isabel embraced her mother and Beverly smiled. “Me too, kid. Me too.”

By the time they left Isabel’s room, Wesley had left for class and Jean-Luc was sipping a cup of tea.  “You alright now, _Princesse_?”  She nodded. “Papa,  I know Maman will tell you everything, but do me a favour and don’t bring any of it up with me?” Jean-Luc grinned at his daughter.  “Of course.” 

“Thanks.”  Isabel leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek. “Gotta go to class now.  See you later, Papa.  Thanks again, Maman.” 

Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Do I want to know?” 

“Erm...probably not.  Let’s just say that Isabel has her first crush and leave it at that for now, alright?”  He nodded.  “Should I do anything?”

“No.  It’s going to be hard enough for her to meet a boy being the daughter of the Captain, don’t make it any harder.”  Jean-Luc grinned at his wife.  “What? You mean boys are afraid of _me_?”

“In a nutshell....yes. Oh, by the way, I’m going to fit Isabel with a birth control strip.  I’d rather it be done now when she’s not thinking about having sex than something happen we aren’t prepared for.”  Jean-Luc’s eyes went wide. “Birth control?”

“Jean-Luc,  our daughter is almost sixteen.  I had sex when I was seventeen, how about you?” 

“Well..er...yes...but...it was different....then...”  Beverly pursed her lips. “How exactly was it different? Hmm?” 

“Well...it...ah...”

“That’s what I thought.  I’ll give Wesley a suppressor too.”

“If you think that’s best for them.”  Beverly leaned over and kissed him. “I do.  But we’ll talk about this more later.  My Captain called an 0800 briefing, and it’s 0755!” 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins each get "the talk" and we see some flashbacks to Beverly and Jean-Luc's early relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks SpaceBro for help with what a teenage boy talks about with his father about sex!

When Isabel walked into Sickbay that afternoon, Alyssa Ogawa greeted her with a smile. “Good afternoon, Isabel.  We have you down for an appointment with your mother today.  You can have exam room three.  Just put on the gown that’s sitting on the biobed, and your mom will be in shortly.”  Isabel looked at the woman puzzled. “Uhh...gown?”

“Yes, for your exam.” 

“I..ah...okay....”  Isabel went into the room and saw the hospital gown folded on the bed and wondered what kind of exam she needed.  But, she removed her clothing and put on the fabric gown and got out her homework to start while she waited for her mother. 

Beverly knocked on the door before opening it and grinned. “Now that’s what I like to see. My girl doing her homework.” 

“Maman, why am I in this gown?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it’s regulation that before a woman gets a birth control implant, she has an exam.  The good news is, I can do it for you if that would make you feel more comfortable.”

“Who else is here?”

“Doctor Hill.”  Isabel shuddered.  “Maman, you can do it.” 

“Right, so we aren’t going to do an internal exam, you’re a bit young for that, but I am going to scan you and we’re going to take a look and make sure everything is alright.  I already know your cycle is regular.”  Isabel blushed.  It was _weird_ when your mother was your doctor. 

“Maman, if you don’t have to do an exam, why am I in the gown?”  Beverly shook her head. “Alyssa’s doing.  You can put your knickers back on, sweetheart.”

Beverly had Isabel lie back on the bed and she scanned Isabel’s abdomen with her tricorder and then gently pressed with her fingers, making Isabel laugh.  “Maman, your hands are cold!”

“Sorry, sweetheart.”  She gave Isabel a pat on her leg.  “You’re done.  Go ahead and get dressed and I’ll be back in to fit the birth control strip.” 

“That was it?”

“Yep.”

“Maman, when will I need to have an internal exam?”  Beverly hemmed. “Well....usually we like to give one to a woman once she becomes sexually active, or when she turns eighteen, whichever happens first...”

“So...I’d have to tell you when I have sex?” 

“No...ah...well, you know _Princesse_ , you can always come to me...as either your doctor or your mother...but only if you’re comfortable telling me, alright?”  Isabel nodded.  “Thanks, Maman.”

While Beverly was inserting the birth control strip for Isabel, Isabel peppered her mother with questions.  “Maman, you said men can get a suppressor too, right?” Beverly nodded.  “Most men.  Your father doesn’t have one because his mechanical heart interferes with it.”

“Is that why you got pregnant with us?” 

“Isabel, you have nothing to worry about. I promise.  Just because my birth control failed when I was twenty-four, it doesn’t mean yours will ever fail.  You and your partner will be able to decide when you’re ready to have a baby and remove the strip then...but uhh...for your father’s sake, don’t have a baby until you’re thirty.”  Isabel giggled.

“Maman, can you tell me what it was like?” 

“What what was like?” 

“How did you tell Papa?”  Beverly blushed. “Oh, well...”

###

_Beverly and Jean-Luc had been dating for six months.  They finally managed to get themselves in the same place and had decided after four years of flirting back and forth that they would finally date, and their life was perfect.  But Beverly was afraid their life was about to change._

_She paced around their shared quarters on the_ Stargazer _nervously.  Her shift in Sickbay was over for the day, so she just needed her boyfriend to return so she could give him the news...she wasn’t going to call it good news yet.  Not until she knew his reaction._

_“Hey Bev, are you home?”_

_“I’m in here, Jean-Luc.”  Jean-Luc strode into their bedroom and caught her around her waist and kissed her. “Is this an invitation?”  Beverly grinned. “Maybe later.  But I need to talk to you about something important.”  Jean-Luc sat on the edge of the bed and patted the bed next to him. Beverly ignored his gesture and resumed her pacing._

_“Beverly, you’re making me dizzy.  Are you alright?  Sit down, please? Whatever it is...it can’t be bad.”_

_“No-oo...well, I don’t know if it’s bad or not.”_

_“Tell me.”  Jean-Luc stood and grabbed Beverly’s arms to still her.  She rested her head against his shoulder while a tear leaked out of her eye.  “Tears, my love? Are you alright?”  Beverly took a deep breath and pulled away so she could look at Jean-Luc’s face._

_“Jean-Luc....I’m..._ we’re _...pregnant.”  She watched as the words sunk in and Jean-Luc’s face went from one of confusion to one of sheer joy.  “We are?”  She nodded.  He kissed her. “That’s wonderful!”_

_“It...it is?”_

_“Of course it is. Why did you think I wouldn’t be happy?”_

_“Well...you told Jack a few days ago you didn’t like the Commander’s children, so I thought....”  Jean-Luc held up his hand.  “I_ don’t _like the Commander’s children.  They’re unruly and they lack discipline.  But our baby?  My baby....Beverly,  I love you, and I will love our child.”  Jean-Luc dropped to one knee. “Marry me?”_

_“Jean-Luc, are you asking me this because I’m having your baby?”  He grinned up at her. “Yes and no.  I was planning on asking you anyway, but not for a few more months...the baby just pushes our plans a bit forward.  Will you?”  Beverly nodded and Jean-Luc let out a whoop before he picked her up in his arms and kissed her, laying her down on the bed._

“Ew, Maman. Too much information!”

“Sorry, Sweetheart.” 

“But that was only when you thought it was one baby.  What happened when you told him it was two?” 

“Your father fainted.” 

“Really?”

###

_Beverly stared at Doctor Quaice. Beverly was in her seventh month and would soon be transferring to Starbase thirty-two as Jean-Luc and her felt it was safer to give birth on a spacestation than the ship.  Doctor Quaice was going to be her new supervisor. Was he pranking her? Had Walker and Jack put him up to this?  “Are you serious?”_

_“Very.  Doctor Picard, Lieutenant Commander Picard, you are having twins.”  There was a loud thud as Jean-Luc hit the floor._

_“Commander?”  Doctor Quaice bent down and scanned him with his tricorder. “Is he alright, Dalen?”  Doctor Quaice nodded. “I think the news stunned him.”  Doctor Quaice pressed a hypospray to Jean-Luc’s neck and he opened his eyes._

_“Welcome back, Commander.”_

_“Thank you. Uhh...did you say....”  Doctor Quaice nodded as he helped Jean-Luc to stand.  Jean-Luc looked at Beverly and took her hands in his. “Wow.”_

_“Yeah, you can say that again.”_

Isabel giggled. “I can’t believe Papa fainted.” 

“Believe it.  Now, any questions?”  Isabel squirmed slightly. “Yeah.  Uhm...Maman, does it hurt?  Only, I’ve heard you screaming and I’ve watched...uhm...”

“Porn?”

“Yeah. And the women are always screaming.”  Beverly laughed. “Why don’t we take this into my office. We’ll get some hot chocolate and sit on my couch and have an uninterrupted chat, alright?”  Isabel smiled at her mother and followed her out of the exam room.  “Alyssa, don’t disturb me unless it’s something Doctor Hill can’t handle.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Beverly and Isabel settled on the couch with cups of hot chocolate and Beverly took a deep breath.  “Isabel...when you have sex for the first time, it will probably hurt.  Inside, you have a part of your body called a Hymen.  It’s a membrane that...” She trailed off when she saw Isabel smirking.

“I _know_ about that, Maman.  The girls at the stables said we broke them riding, but I didn’t feel anything. Does that mean I’m not a virgin?”

“No sweetheart.  You are a virgin until you have penetrative sex. Your hymen is not an indication of being a virgin or not. And you might not have felt it break, since you would have been sore from riding your horse, am I right?”  Isabel nodded.  “But you asked if sex hurts.  The short answer is...sometimes. The first time you have sex, it will probably hurt because your body isn’t used to being stretched like that.  It might even hurt the second, third, fourth, and fifth time.  If you change partners, and his penis is shaped differently to your previous partner, it might hurt the first few times.  If you are experiencing PMS, it might hurt, and the first time you have sex after giving birth....it’s going to hurt.  A lot.  But when you hear those girls in the film screaming or you hear me....it’s cries of passion, not pain.” Isabel coloured to match her hair.  “Sorry.”

“Maman, do you ever...touch yourself? Is that...normal?”  Beverly grinned. “Yes, sweetheart.  Perfectly natural to want to explore your body and in fact, I encourage it. Have you ever looked at your vagina?”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. 

“Right.  Tonight, I’m going to let you use my bathroom.  Take a nice relaxing bubble bath. I’ll keep Papa and Wesley occupied.  Explore yourself as much as you want in the bath and when you get out, I want you to take the  handmirror off the counter, put it on the floor, spread your legs and really look at yourself.  Touch yourself and watch if you want.  But really get to know yourself.  It’s important.   Learn to pleasure yourself, and then you can show your _future_ partner how to pleasure you.”

“Maman...that’s so embarrassing.”  Beverly nodded. “It is, and imagine, I had to have this conversation with Nana Felisa!”  Isabel giggled.

###

Wesley shouldered his schoolbag and pressed the chime outside his father’s ready room and squirmed.  He knew he owed his parents a huge apology and he suspected his father was about to yell at him.

“Come!”

“Uh...Hi Papa.”  Wesley stood in the doorway and nervously rubbed the back of his neck in a mirror image of what Jean-Luc always did.  Jean-Luc looked up and indicated for Wesley to take a seat on the sofa.  Jean-Luc busied himself at the replicator and carried two cups of creamy, sweet coffee over to the sofa and handed one to Wesley. 

“Wesley...we need to have a father son talk.”

“We...we do?”  Wesley said, sipping at the coffee. 

“Wes,”  Jean-Luc sat his cup down and levelled a look at his son.  “I’ve received the monthly data access reports.” 

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”  Jean-Luc held out his hands, waiting for an explanation. “Papa, I’m sorry I hacked our codes.”

“Our codes?”

“Me and Issy.  We just wanted to...”  Jean-Luc gave his son a wry grin. “Yes, I know what you wanted to do.  Look, Wes, I should be angry at you for hacking the computer, and I am, believe me.  But we need to talk about what you have been accessing.” 

“Uhm...”

“Son, you _do_ realise that sex isn’t like what you see in porn, right?”  Wesley’s face went red and he squirmed in his seat.  “Uhh...”  Jean-Luc held up his hand.  “Look, I know your mother and I didn’t exactly give you and your sister a very good example of a loving relationship  for fifteen years, but I would hope that we are now.” 

“Yeah, and then we walk in on you....again.  Geez, Papa.” 

“I’m sorry you walked in on us, Wes.  But I _do_ love your mother and I intend on showing her how much I love her every day for the rest of my life.  I have a lot of years to make up for, you see.”  Wesley made a face. “Ew, too much information Papa.”

“Sorry. But my point is....porn isn’t real.  Do you understand?” 

“Yeah.  But it’s....”  Jean-Luc quirked an eyebrow, waiting for his son to continue. “I mean....” 

“It makes you feel good, am I right?  And you....masturbate to it.”  Wesley’s face became even redder. “Uhmm.....”

“Every boy does it, Wes.  You don’t need to be ashamed.  Your uncle and I used to have a stash of dirty magazines in the barn loft your Nana and grandfather knew nothing about.”  Wesley’s eyes went wide. “Really, Papa?” 

“Yes, really. So it’s entirely natural to be curious.  I need to ask you...have you been replicating any lubricant?  Are you...sore or irritated? Any swelling?  I mean, other than an erection.”

“ _Papa!”_ Wes started open-mouthed at his father.

“Wes, this is important.  Would you feel better talking about this with Commander Riker?  Or Lieutenant La Forge?”

“Uh....no. “

“I didn’t think so.” 

“Well...I have been...a little... _sore_ down there.” 

“I see. And you decided not to go to Sickbay because...”

“Uh...Mom’s there.”  Jean-Luc nodded. “I see, I see.  Do you want to show me?” 

“ _Papa!_  Not in here!” 

“No, of course not.  Come on, we’ll go into the bathroom.”  Jean-Luc rose and headed towards his private bathroom.  “Uhm, do I have to?”

“No, but do you _really_ want to have to go tell your mother you need your phallus repaired?”  Wesley’s eyes went wide.  “I...no!”

“Then come on.”  Wesley closed his eyes as he lowered his trousers in front of his father.  _This is so embarrassing. I can’t believe I have to show my dad my dick._

“Wesley...Son, you need to start using lube.”  Jean-Luc walked back out into his ready room and muttered to himself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this” and asked the replicator for a small bottle of aloe lube.  He tossed it to Wesley, who easily caught it.  “That should help.” 

“Uh, thanks Papa.”

“But if it doesn’t, and it still hurts or the redness gets worse, you need to come tell me.  I can help you and if I can’t, we can speak with Doctor Hill instead of your mother, alright?”  Wesley nodded.

“Wesley, are you having sex?”

“No.  Not really.” Jean-Luc levelled a gaze at his son that would intimidate even the toughest diplomat.  “’not really’?”

“Well...I only kissed her.” 

“I see.  Well, you need to be aware that the kind of sex you see in porn isn’t how it will happen.  It’s impossible to have sex as many times as the people in the movies do without resting in between. I don’t want you to think you’re inadequate when you do start having sex...and for heaven’s sake, don’t try to copy the positions.  If you need a book about sex, I’ll give you my copy of the Joy of Sex. It’s ancient, but it does the job.” Wesley was once again staring at his father, open mouthed.  “What?  You know your mother and I have a sex life.”

“Ugh! I thought I said too much information, Papa!” 

“Sorry, son.  Wesley...if you _are_ thinking about having sex, it might be time we consider you getting a birth control implant.” 

“Papa?”

“Wesley, if you’re curious...and I have no doubt that you are...I’d rather you be safe.  After all,  I’m too young to be a grandfather.”  Wesley grinned.  “Your mother is giving Isabel one.  If you want yours, you may go see your mother now.” 

“Uh...thanks?” 

###

_“Get out.  Take one of the babies and go. I never want to see you again!” Beverly yelled at her husband and threw a pillow at him._

_“Beverly...my love...”  Beverly growled. “Don’t you ‘my love’ me!  GET OUT!”_

_“Which...which baby do you want me to take with me?”_

_“I don’t care.”  Jean-Luc frowned but grabbed pieces of paper and wrote each child’s name on one.  He mixed up the papers behind his back and held them out to Beverly. “Pick one.”_

_“It says Wesley.”_

_“Alright, I’ll take Isabel.  We’ll come back...once you’re a bit calmer.”  Beverly glared. “Not bloody likely!”_

Beverly was pulled out of her memories by her son, knocking on her door. “Mom?” 

“Sorry, Wes.  I must have been...well, I was thinking about the day your father and I fought.  I really was foolish.  But anyway, what brings you by?  I thought you were doing a Bridge shift and then you were ordered to go straight to our quarters.”  

“Yeah.  Uhm...Papa...Papa sent me.”

“Oh...kay...”

“He said...uhm...he said...” Realisation dawned on Beverly. “You’re here for your suppressor.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want me to do it, or would you rather Doctor Hill?” Wesley panicked and his face went red, thinking about what he and his father had just discussed.

“Uh...Mom, I don’t have to like, show you my junk or anything, do I?”  Beverly suppressed her smile.  “No, Wes.  The implant goes in your arm, not in your genitals.”  He visibly relaxed.  “What does it do?”

“It suppresses the production of sperm, while not reducing the amount of output or affecting your ability.” 

“Oh.”

“So, shall we?”  Wesley nodded and followed his mother into an examination room.  His exam took less time than Isabel’s, just a quick scan and then in less than 30 seconds he had his implant. 

“Uh...Thanks, Mom.”

“No, Thank _you._ Your father and I do not want to be made grandparents...I told Isabel not until she’s thirty, and it’s the same for you, mister!” Wesley grinned at his mother. “Now go.  Before you get in trouble with your father for not being where you’re supposed to be.” 

###

Beverly entered Jean-Luc’s Ready Room without hitting the chime and he chuckled. “How on earth did you get away with that?”

“Easy.  Will knows not to get on my bad side.”  Jean-Luc stood and walked over to Beverly, kissing her.  “Tea?”

“Oh, yes please.  Our children...they’re going to drive us mad, aren’t they?”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Interesting conversation with Isabel?  About as interesting as my conversation with Wesley?”

“Mm. Let’s just say, you, me, and Wesley are going to Ten Forward tonight and leaving Isabel alone.  I told her she could use our bathroom for a long bubble bath.” 

“I, ah...see. Did you know that our son watches porn?” 

“Are you surprised?  He’s a teenager. Weren’t you watching porn at his age?” Jean-Luc shook his head. “No.  No private consoles. But Robert and I shared a stack of magazines with Louis and his brother.  We kept them in one of the barns in the loft.” 

“See? You looked at porn.  It’s _normal_.  Frankly, I’m a little relieved our son is a normal, hormonal teenage boy.  Given his penchant for engineering, I was worried he wasn’t going to be interested in girls and would just build himself a robot girlfriend or ask Data to help him.” Jean-Luc laughed.  “The last thing we need is Wesley and Data collaborating to build female androids.”

“You know, Data is fully functional.” Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “Do I...do I want to know how you know?” 

“Tasha told me.” Jean-Luc nearly spit out his tea.  “I see.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

Isabel was hanging garland and tinsel all over their quarters when Wesley came in after a shift on the bridge.  “Ugh, what are you doing?”

“It’s Chriiiiiiiiistmaaaaas!”  Isabel exclaimed, draping some garland around her brother’s neck. “Plus, Maman’s coming home!”

“Thank goodness.  Papa sure is grumpy without her.”  Isabel laughed. “And the woman Papa had to have take over in Sickbay...ugh!”  Isabel made a face.  “She doesn’t let me _do_ anything.  Said that Maman was showing favouritism by allowing me to do anything above just being an orderly.”  Isabel scoffed.  “I have the highest grade in biology! If I don’t get to run the experiments, my grade will fall.” 

“Yeah, and she isn’t very nice to Data.” Wesley plopped on the sofa and tugged the garland off his neck.  “But do you _have_ to decorate? Dad’s going to hate it.”

“No he won’t.”

“He will.  I heard him telling Commander Riker he hated the decorations in Ten Forward.”  Isabel’s face fell.  “Oh.” 

“But maybe he’ll like _my_ decorations better than Guinan’s!”

“Fat chance.” 

“Shut up.”

When Jean-Luc entered his family’s quarters he merely raised his eyebrows at the decorations.  “Already, _Princesse_?” 

“Sorry, Papa.  Wessy said you didn’t like the ones in Ten Forward. I’ll take them down.”  Jean-Luc held up his hands. “I didn’t say to take them down.  Besides, I think your mother will appreciate it when she gets here.”  Isabel smiled and stuck her tongue out at her brother.

“Ugh, just don’t go decorating _my_ room.”  Isabel wrinkled her nose. “Like I would go into your bedroom. It’s gross.”

“Wes, you’re going to have to clean your room before your mother returns.” 

“Aw, man.  Can’t I like set a bot to do it?”  Jean-Luc nodded. “Sure, but the bot will probably get rid of everything to leave the room spotless.”  Wesley frowned. “But if you can clean up and organize your school things, you can use the bot to vacuum and make your bed.”

“How much time do I have?”

“Your mother will be here in five days.”  Wesley sat back on the sofa and Jean-Luc eyed his son. “ _Wesley_....”

“Fine, I’m going....” 

Jean-Luc smiled. “ _Princesse,_ what does your bedroom look like?” 

“Uhm.....” Isabel trailed off. “Go. Clean.  I’ll call you and your brother for dinner later.” 

“Ok, Papa.”

Jean-Luc sat back and shook his head.  Being a single parent to one child when they weren’t a teenager was easy, but trying to be a single parent to two sixteen-year-olds was rough and Jean-Luc was overjoyed that Beverly’s project with Starfleet Medical was finally ending and she was coming home. 

Of course, they had seen her a few times while she had been away, but it was hard.  They had only been remarried for six months when the order came through – order, not offer.  Beverly was ordered to return to Starfleet Medical, no doubt due to the shakeup caused by Jean-Luc, Walker, and Will Riker discovering the parasitic species that had taken over most of Command and Medical.  Frankly,  Jean-Lu was surprised _he_ hadn’t been recalled as well alongside Beverly and Walker. Beverly had been given a fixed length of time for her assignment of ten months, and it was finally coming to a close.  Jean-Luc was overjoyed to have his wife back, and equally as pleased to be sending Kate Pulaski on her way. 

Jean-Luc glanced around their quarters with a grin. Looked like _he_ probably had some cleaning up to do before his wife returned, too.

###

Beverly energised on the transporter pad and stepped off and was immediately engulfed in the arms of her husband. Chief O’Brien looked the other way while Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to her lips.  He touched her forehead to his. “Missed you.” 

“Missed you too. Where are the children?” 

“School.”  She raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t let them skip to see me right away?”

“Ah, no. They’ll be in class until 1400.” 

“What time is it now?”

“10?”  She looped her arm in his. “Take me home.” 

Jean-Luc turned back to the chief. “Thanks Chief.  Can you beam the doctor’s belongings directly to our quarters when they arrive?  Just put them in the corner of the living room.”

“Sure thing, Captain.  Welcome back, Doctor.”

Jean-Luc and Beverly were waylaid by practically everyone they met welcoming the doctor back.  She grinned. “Is Pulaski _that_ bad?”

“She’s a horrible woman.” 

“I hear you were grumpy, too.” Beverly laughed as she ran a hand down Jean-Luc’s chest.  He flushed. “I missed you.”

Beverly glanced around and seeing no one else in the corridor she leaned up and kissed him.  “Come on, let’s go home.” 

Beverly was surprised to discover their quarters decked out for Christmas.  “Isabel?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “She thought you’d like it.”

“It’s...something all right.”  Jean-Luc grinned. “Yeah, but I just let her go with it.” 

“Well, as long as she’ll be the one to pack it all away after Christmas, I won’t complain.”  Jean-Luc tugged her towards the bedroom with a kiss. “It’s been too long, my love.  Far, far too long since you were in my bed.” 

###

Isabel and Wesley hurried home after their lessons, both eager to see their mother. When they arrived the living room was empty, and the door to their parent’s room slightly ajar.  Isabel exchanged a look with her brother and they played a quick game to determine it would be Wesley who would go see if their parents were in their bedroom.  Wesley made a face, but approached the bedroom cautiously.  He peeked in and saw his parents sleeping. “They’re sleeping, Issy,”  he whispered. 

“Naked?”

“Uhh...I’m not getting that close to check.”  Isabel laughed at her brother. “Chicken.”

Beverly cracked an eye open and saw her son’s face through the crack. “Wesley!” 

“Uh....Hi, Mom.  We’re glad you’re home?”  She smiled.  “I am too. Now please close the door and I’ll get dressed to come out to greet you properly.”

“Ugh, too much information, Mom.”  Beverly chuckled.  It was an old joke with the children and it was good to hear it.  When Wesley slid the door shut Beverly nudged Jean-Luc. “The kids are home,”

Jean-Luc snaked a hand around Beverly’s waist and pulled her against his chest. “That’s nice.” He kissed the back of her neck and Beverly rolled her eyes. She twisted around in his arms and pressed a kiss against his lips. “Come on, _Papa_ , let’s spend some time with our family.”  He grumbled very un Captainly and Beverly laughed.  “I promise, I’m not going anywhere.  I’ll be back in this bed tonight.  Besides, don’t you want me to relieve Kate?” 

“Oh gods, yes.  Alright, I’m getting up.”  He kissed her once more and got out of the bed. “Time for a shower first?” 

Beverly shook her head. “Incorrigible.”

###

Beverly strode into her Sickbay with Isabel trailing behind.  “Doctor Picard! You’re back!” 

“I am indeed, Alyssa.”  Alyssa Ogawa beamed.  “Just need to relieve Doctor Pulaski and then we’ll have a meeting, alright?”

“Of course, Sir.”  Beverly turned to Isabel. “Belle, honey, stay out of the way for now. I know Doctor Pulaski wasn’t in favour of you doing any work experience in Sickbay.” Isabel shook her head. “She wouldn’t even let me run any of my experiments!”  Beverly frowned. “So, the nanobot project?” 

“We’ve done nothing since you left.”  Beverly let out a sigh.  “First order of business will be getting you and Wes the lab time you need. Has he made any progress with it for engineering?”

“A little, but we wanted to be able to present our findings together.”  Beverly nodded.  “Why don’t you see if Nurse Ogawa has anything you can do for now.” 

“Ok.”

Beverly smoothed down her lab coat and knocked on her office door.  A small woman with tight blonde curls looked up from her desk.  “Can I help...oh, you must be Doctor Picard.” 

“Yes.”   Beverly glanced around her office.  Everything had been moved, even the furniture.  Her large wall monitor she liked to use for analysing data was turned off, and she noticed about half of her usual diagnostic equipment was missing – no doubt because Kate Pulaski didn’t like modern technology in medicine.  “I’m here to relieve you of duty and to be briefed on anything I need to know before you depart.” 

Pulaski indicated for Beverly to take a seat in front of the desk and Beverly just raised her eyebrows as she sat.  Technically, she and Pulaski were equals in rank, though Beverly had the advantage of being a commander in her own right and not just as an honorarium, but Pulaski was slightly older. 

“Is your work at Starfleet Medical finished?” 

“Yes, they only needed me for ten months just to work out some of the issues they found with the parasite the Captain and Commander discovered with the help of Captain Keel.  It left Medical in a bit of disarray, and since I am the Chief Medical Officer of the flagship, they wanted me to coordinate the reshuffle.  I hope you like your new position.”  Beverly fake smiled at the woman. Truthfully, she would have loved to have assigned Kate Pulaski to a garbage scow far away, but had settled for sending her to Deep Space Three. 

“Yes, Uhm...thank you.”  Pulaski shuffled the PADDs on her desk.  “It seems there are a few officers who are due to have their implants renewed.  I have sent them a notice to schedule the refit at their convenience.”  Beverly inwardly frowned. That wasn’t how she ran her sickbay. If you needed your implant renewed, you received notice of an appointment. Otherwise, people would put it off and then they would be unprotected and Beverly would be the first person they blamed if they became pregnant.  She would have to generate appointments to everyone on the list.

“And then of course, there is the matter of Captain Picard.”

“What’s wrong with Captain Picard?”

“His artificial heart has been flagged up as one of the models that has developed a fault.”  Beverly blankly stared at the other woman.  “So then why didn’t you replace it?”

“Well, I sent the notification to the Captain, but he obviously failed to pay attention....” Beverly grimaced.  Of _course_ Jean-Luc wouldn’t have responded to an invitation for an appointment.  “Well, then I guess I had better schedule the replacement.” 

“Er, you can’t perform the surgery.”

“Why not?”

“Well, you’re his spouse.”  Beverly raised her eyebrows. “Yes, and I’m also his doctor and his chief medical officer.  And since _you_ failed to see the urgency in the replacement, for all we know the Captain could be on the verge of a collapse and a cascading failure of his device.”  Beverly narrowed her eyes. “Please vacate my office.  Speak with Commander Riker regarding passage to your next assignment.”  When Pulaski failed to get up from her chair, Beverly gave her a sharp look. “Now!” 

Once Pulaski had gathered her few personal belongings and exited the office, Beverly sat down in the chair behind the desk and frowned. _Even the chair is wrong_.  She pressed her comm unit.  “Sickbay to Captain Picard.”

_“Picard here.”_

“Captain, I need to see you in my office right away.” 

_“Is it urgent?”_

“You might say it’s life or death.”  Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows to his First Officer.  _“I’m on my way.”_

###

“I hope this is a visit for pleasure.”  Beverly shook her head.  “I’m sorry, _Captain_.  But maybe later.”

Jean-Luc took a seat in front of the desk and reached for Beverly’s hand. “Are you alright?  Are the children alright?”  Beverly smiled and squeezed his hand.  “The children are fine, I’m fine...but _you’re_ not.”

“Me?”

“Jean-Luc, do you recall getting a message from Doctor Pulaski to schedule an appointment?”  He nodded. “I assumed it was for my physical so I...”

“Ignored it because you were hoping to avoid it. I know you.” 

“So, is that it then? You need to do my physical? Why did you call it life or death?”  Beverly sighed.  “Do you still have the message from Pulaski?” 

“Possibly.”  Beverly levelled a look at her husband and turned her monitor towards him. “Please read it.”

He sighed. “Computer, access personal correspondence for Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Display messages from Doctor Pulaski, acting CMO.”

 _“Working. Complete.”_  Jean-Luc scanned through the list until he found the message headed ‘Appointment Needed’.  “Computer: Display message titled ‘Appointment Needed’.”

 _“Affirmative.”_ Jean-Luc gasped as he read the message.  “My....my heart?”

“Your heart.  Apparently the model was flagged as having a defect. Since they don’t know which hearts have the defect or when they will show up, they are recalling all patients for a replacement to be fitted.  Doctor Pulaski should have performed the surgery – or at least allowed you to schedule it on a base – six months ago as this was flagged as urgent by Starfleet Medical.” 

“But you didn’t know?”  Beverly shook her head. “I wasn’t working in that department, and the notices would have only gone out to patient’s current doctor on file. Since I wasn’t _technically_  your doctor, the notice went to her.”  Jean-Luc frowned.  “Beverly, you can’t possibly perform this surgery on me.  I’m your husband!” 

“ _And_ my captain.  It’s my job as your doctor.  It’ll be fine.  I’ll be fine.  _You’ll_ be fine.” 

“So...the replacement?” 

“It’s already here.  Apparently it was sent over when Pulaski would have received notice to schedule your surgery.”  Jean-Luc grimaced. “So...when does this need to be done?”

“Now.” 

“Beverly, I don’t want the children to know....”  Beverly frowned. “Why not?” 

“They’ll worry. Belle in particular.  Can it wait until they go for their Entrance exams?  They’ll be gone for five days counting travel....”  Beverly pursed her lips. “I want to tell you no, that it needs to be done right away because I have no way of knowing when or if yours will fail...but I also see your point.  When are they scheduled for the exams?”

“Next week.” Beverly nodded. “Think Riker can handle it if you go on light duties?  Or take some leave?  Claim you’re taking it because I’m back?”  Jean-Luc scoffed. “Hardly if you’ll be diving right back into Sickbay.” 

“Well, let me put a monitor on your chest.  It’s unobtrusive and I can link it to my PADD.”  Jean-Luc sighed. “Fine. I suppose this means no more welcome home sex?”  Beverly merely rolled her eyes as she indicated for her husband to remove his shirt.

###

Jean-Luc could think of far better things to do with his wife while they had their quarters to themselves for four days, but he dutifully reported to Sickbay after wishing his children good luck on their exams.  He had given them a shuttle to use as Will Riker had passed them both out as competent pilots, no doubt in part to do with Walker teaching them when they were only thirteen. 

Jean-Luc sighed as he changed into the surgical pyjamas and grinned when his wife entered the room clad in red.  She kissed him.  “I love you and I promise to kiss you again when this is all over.” 

“I hope we do _more_ than kiss,” he wiggled his eyebrows and she smacked his arm.  “One track mind.” 

“Well...Wes and Belle are away for a few days...” he traced a finger down her face. “It would be nice to have the place to ourselves....”

“Yes it would, but fixing this is far more important. Besides, I think you kind of like embarrassing our children when they discover we’ve been intimate.”  Jean-Luc chuckled. “Wesley’s face is a picture every time.” 

Beverly patted the gurney.  “Hop on.”  Jean-Luc made a face. “I hate this.”

“I know.  But the good thing is, Alyssa, Deanna, and Will are the only people who know you are here.  Anyone else just thinks you are unavailable.”

###

Isabel was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat reading over a PADD for the tenth time.  “Stop it, Issy.” 

“I’m just nervous. What if we don’t get in?  Or what if only one of us gets in?”  Wesley patted his sister’s shoulder. “Do you _really_ think that will happen?  We both attended the Junior Academy, which is supposed to give us an edge over other applicants, we’re developing the Picard Nanobots, and our parents are Captain and CMO of the flagship.”  Isabel’s eyes went wide. “Wessy, you don’t think we’ll get special treatment for who our parents are do you?” 

Wesley replied by raising his eyebrows.  “Oh, they’ll say they aren’t showing us special attention, but you know that they won’t want to upset Papa, so unless we totally tank part of the exam, I think we’ll be ok.”

“Maybe.  I’m worried about the psychological exam. What if it’s really hard?”

“We’ll be fine.  I’m going to get some lunch. Want a sandwich?” 

“Yeah, sure.”

###

Jean-Luc’s eyes opened slowly.  “Ah, there’s those beautiful eyes I like to see.”  Beverly leaned over and kissed him gently. 

“So...it was a success?”  Beverly nodded. “Great!”  Jean-Luc sat up and began to swing his legs over the side. “Woah, hold it, Captain.  You can’t just hop off the bio bed.  You need to stay for a few hours while we monitor you and then you won’t be able to return to full duties for at least a day.”

“But you’ll release me to quarters?” 

“I will. In fact, I took tomorrow off so you’ll have my personal attention.”  He grinned. 

Beverly moved in and out of his private room as she tended to some of her other patients and work, wanting to leave with Jean-Luc and not return until the following day.  When she felt as though her work was finished for the day, she entered his room with his uniform in her hand.  “Alright,  Jean-Luc.  I will release you to quarters provided you _listen to your doctor_.”

“I think I can do that.” He grinned.  Beverly handed him his uniform.  “Need any help?”

“Maybe removing it?”  He winked.  Beverly shook her head. “I’ll be in my office when you’re ready.”

###

“Congratulations, Isabel Picard and Wesley Picard. You both have passed.  In fact, you had identical scores!  This surely is a first for us.”  Commander Chang grinned at the siblings.

“They must have cheated!” Chang levelled a glare at the boy who spoke up.  “How?  They were on opposite sides of the room for the computer testing, and they had their psychological exams separately.” 

“I dunno. Maybe they’re like linked mentally cos they’re twins.”  Isabel rolled her eyes. “That’s not how being a twin works.  I mean, maybe if we were Betazoid, but we’re definitely one hundred percent human.”

“Quite.  Thank you, Miss Picard.”  Isabel blushed.  “Sorry.”

“No worries.  You both will receive your invitation to join next year’s class.  For the rest of you, we invite you to study hard, and you may sit the exam again next year.  You are dismissed.” 

Isabel grinned at her brother. “We did it! I can’t wait to tell Maman and Papa!”

“Thirteen hour trip back.  You want to pilot this time?” 

“Sure! I just need to pack my stuff.  I was too nervous this morning.”  Wesley grinned. “Me too.  Meet you at the shuttle in an hour?”

“Yeah.”

Isabel was silent for about half the trip back to the ship, only speaking to issue commands to Wesley as her co-pilot or to the shuttle. 

“Issy? Are you ok?”  Wesley tentatively asked. He had been listening to his sister sniffle ever so often and he saw her swipe at her eyes a few times to keep tears at bay, too. 

“I’m fine.” Wesley shook his head. “You’re not. You’ve been quiet except to issue commands for the shuttle. That’s not like you.  _And_ you’re crying. Don’t think I don’t notice!”

“Are we ready to go to the Academy?  I only just got Maman back last year, and then she had to go away for almost a year and I don’t know if I want to leave again...I want to spend time with her. Don’t you want to spend time with Papa?”  Wesley shrugged. “Well, sure.  I mean,  I think Papa is great and I like that we’re a family now, but Issy...isn’t this what we both wanted since we were kids?  We didn’t even grow up together-“ Isabel let out a loud sniff at that “But we both wanted to go to the Academy.  And...we’ll be together.  I mean, I don’t know if they’ll let us share a suite, but we’ll at least be together.” 

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to defer for a year?”  Isabel looked up when her brother passed her a replicated tissue and she blew her nose. “Can we _do_ that?”  Wesley shrugged. “I dunno. But I bet Papa can find out.”  Isabel smiled. “Yeah, I’d like to stay home another year if we can...spend it with Maman and Papa and kinda be a family....” 

“If you’re staying, I’ll stay too,” Wesley said firmly. “Really?”  Wesley nodded.

“I’m not going to get myself ahead of my sister.  What good would that do?  We need to become Ensigns at the same time.”  Isabel laughed. “Yeah, but then I’ll have med school and I’ll graduate as a Lieutenant J G, so you’ll have to be promoted by the time I’m done at Medical.”  Wesley grinned. “It’s a deal.”

###

Jean-Luc rolled over in bed and pulled Beverly in closer. “Mm, the children will be docking in six hours.”  He kissed her shoulder.  “But I must admit, I’m enjoying having our quarters to ourselves.”

Beverly rolled over to face her husband and kissed him.  “It’s nice, but I quite enjoy having Wesley and Isabel around.  I’ll miss them when they go to the Academy, but I suppose they’re almost adults and I...” Beverly trailed off as she started to cry. 

“Shhh my love.  I’m sorry. I know. We only just became a family again and now our children are already grown and moving out.” She sniffed.  “Unless we have more children.” 

Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows.  “More children?  I know we talked about it...briefly....is that what you really want?” 

“Yes, I think so.  What about you?”  Jean-Luc slowly nodded. “You were beautiful when you were pregnant.”  He kissed her slowly and rolled on top of her.  “Mm, what are you doing?”

“Starting.”  Beverly laughed. “Jean-Luc, I need to get my implant removed first.” 

“Alright, well...we’ll practice.”  Beverly laughed but didn’t protest when Jean-Luc’s lips descended onto a nipple.

###

Beverly smoothed down her uniform as she walked with Jean-Luc to Shuttle Bay Two.  The twins would be arriving home soon, and the parents had wanted to greet their children right away.  Jean-Luc reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.  He wasn’t usually one for showing affection in the corridors in front of his crew, but their time apart made Jean-Luc realise that it didn’t make him any less of a Captain to show affection for his family.  Beverly squeezed his hand back.

“Shuttlecraft Wolfe, you are cleared for landing in Shuttle Bay Two.”  A shield went up in front of Jean-Luc, Beverly, and the operator to protect them while the shuttle arrived.  Jean-Luc grinned when he heard his daughter’s voice over the comms.  _“Affirmative, Enterprise.  Shuttlecraft Wolfe is ready to dock.”_

Jean-Luc watched as his daughter carefully piloted the shuttle through the force field and brought it to a gentle landing.  Beverly was on her way to the shuttle as soon as the shield was lifted and Jean-Luc followed behind.  Isabel was the first one off the shuttle and she flew into her mother’s arms.  “Maman, I missed you!”  Beverly kissed the top of her head before Isabel went over to her father to embrace him.  Wesley was soon engulfed in his mother’s arms and pretended to protest. “Mooooom!” 

“Sorry, Wes.”

Jean-Luc still had his arm around his daughter when he extended his other arm to Wesley and he hugged them both close.  “Now then,  did you both pass?”

Isabel nodded. “We had the same exact scores!”  Jean-Luc pressed a kiss to Isabel’s temple. “I’m so proud of you – _both_ of you,” and he pressed a kiss to Wesley’s hair, too. Wesley grinned and Beverly came up and linked arms with Wesley.  “What do you two say to dinner in Ten Forward?” 

“Sounds great, Maman!” 

###FIN###

Part Two...eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me!


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